Plasma remains the cheapest way to get a profiling table into a fabrication shop, and the power source is where the value sits.
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Yes. CNC plasma cutting systems are funded as equipment, typically on hire purchase, and used tables are fundable. The distinction that catches buyers out is between the table and the power source. The power source is the expensive, branded, serial-numbered part with the real resale value; the table and gantry are often worth much less, particularly on budget imported machines. Downdraught extraction, water tables and fume handling are usually needed to run legally and are frequently quoted separately, sometimes outside what a funder will advance.
Used kit: Yes — used plasma systems are fundable, with the age of the power source and the availability of parts mattering far more than the table.
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
Funders take a pragmatic view here. A high-definition plasma from a known manufacturer sits on a table that may or may not be worth much, so underwriters value the system as a whole with an eye on the power source brand. Cheap far-eastern tables with an unbranded source are the ones treated most cautiously, because a dealer would struggle to resell them. Control support and drive availability matter as they do on any CNC. Consumables — nozzles, electrodes, swirl rings — are running costs, and nesting software is soft. Plasma sits squarely in general fabrication, which is cyclical with construction and agriculture, so funders read the customer base. The classic decline is a small fabricator buying an imported machine with no UK support and no evidence of profiling work to put on it.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Hypertherm XPR300 | High definition plasma source for plate cutting |
| Hypertherm Powermax 105 | Portable plasma unit for workshop cutting |
| Kjellberg Q-Series sources | Plasma power sources for profiling tables |
| Esab Combirex DX | Plasma cutting table for general fabrication |
| Esab plasma power sources | Cutting units for plate and structural work |
| Messer MetalMaster | Compact profiling table for sheet and plate |
| Messer MetalMaster Xcel | Plasma table with bevel cutting option |
| Voortman V304 | Plate processing machine for structural steel |
| Kerf plasma profiling tables | British built tables for steel stockholders |
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Structural steel fabricators, plant and trailer builders, agricultural engineers and general welding shops cutting plate, gussets and brackets. Also steel stockholders adding a profiling service. The trigger is normally a decision to stop buying profiled plate from a laser bureau, or a growth in plate thickness beyond what an existing machine handles economically. Occasionally it follows a large contract where the profiling bill alone would have covered most of a table.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
The power source, in most cases. A branded high-definition source holds value and is instantly recognisable to a dealer, whereas an unbranded table is often worth little more than its steel. Funders assess the package but weight it accordingly, which is why an imported table with a generic source attracts a lower advance than the invoice might suggest.
Often, yes. Downdraught tables supplied with the machine can be included, but standalone extraction plant, ducting and filtration bought from another supplier usually needs its own arrangement. Since plasma fume control is a legal requirement rather than an optional extra, get it costed properly before you commit to the cutting system.
Yes. A combination machine is a single piece of equipment on one invoice and is funded as one asset. Funders actually view dual-process tables reasonably well, because the capability appeals to a wider set of buyers second-hand than a plasma-only machine of the same size.
Small handheld units are generally too low in value to justify a finance agreement on their own. They are best bought outright or added to a larger equipment purchase. CNC tables and the associated power sources are where finance genuinely makes sense in plasma cutting.
They can, but they are noticeably more cautious with plasma than with other machine tools, because the market is full of imported tables with no UK service network. A machine supplied by a UK distributor who will support it is a far easier proposition, and usually the better purchase in any case.
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