Disadvantages of plasma arc cutting include ______ and ______.

• A. Initial equipment cost/Portability
• B. Cutting speed/Portability
• C. Preheating/Initial equipment cost
• D. Distortion/Cutting speed

Answer: (A)

Plasma arc cutting comes with fast, clean cuts, but two real drawbacks show up in practice: a higher initial equipment cost and reduced portability. The system needs a powerful power supply, a compressed-air setup to create the plasma, and a torch with consumables. That combination makes the upfront investment larger than many other cutting methods. It also tends to be heavier and bulkier, since you must carry the power unit, air supply, hoses, and cables, which limits how easily you can move it around a shop or take it into the field.

These points explain why the other potential downsides don’t fit as well. Preheating isn’t part of plasma cutting, so it isn’t a disadvantage. Cutting speed is actually a strength of plasma cutting, not a drawback. Distortion varies with technique and material, but isn’t inherently a universal disadvantage like cost and portability.