Cutting table coolants, conditioners, and treatment fluids for plasma, waterjet, and oxy-fuel cutting systems.
Plasma and waterjet tables operate under constant exposure to metal fines, slag, abrasive residue, heat, and contaminated process water. PICO Chemical manufactures cutting table coolants and conditioners, plasma torch coolants, freeze-control fluids, and waterjet table treatments for these demanding environments.
The line includes PICO QUENCH GUARD G, the No. 1-selling plasma cutting table fluid in the United States. Proper fluid selection helps manage corrosion, residue, water quality, and biological contamination while supporting cleaner equipment, protected components, and more reliable operation.
Plasma and waterjet fluids are specialty process fluids used to condition, cool, and protect cutting equipment and cutting table systems.
Unlike untreated water, a purpose-built cutting table fluid addresses conditions created inside an industrial cutting environment. Depending on the product and application, this includes corrosion control, cooling, biological control, metal protection, freeze protection, or conditioning the water inside the table.
Our current plasma and waterjet fluid product line includes:
The correct product depends on the cutting process, equipment, metals being processed, operating conditions, and specific performance requirements.
A cutting table isn’t simply a tank of water beneath a cutting head. During cutting, the water becomes part of the operating environment, where it collects metal particles, cutting debris, slag, oils, and other contaminants while being exposed to heat and prolonged contact with metal surfaces.
Over time, these conditions can change the quality of the water and make the system more difficult to maintain. The right cutting table fluid helps manage this operating environment by conditioning the water and addressing specific challenges such as corrosion, buildup, odors, and fluid life.
Water, exposed metal, oxygen, contaminants, and operating conditions create an environment where corrosion control matters. Corrosion affects table components, metal surfaces, and the condition of the system itself. Our plasma and waterjet product category includes fluids designed specifically to provide corrosion inhibition within these cutting environments.
Water-based systems also require attention to biological stability. Bacteria and other contamination change the condition of a fluid system and increase maintenance demands. PICO's cutting table lineup includes bio-stable fluids designed to control bacterial growth while supporting cutting table operation. Fluid condition should remain part of normal table maintenance rather than being addressed only after odor, contamination, or degraded performance becomes obvious.
Plasma and oxy-fuel cutting introduce significant heat into the cutting environment. Waterjet systems operate differently, but they still expose the table and fluid to abrasive material, metal fines, and continuous process contamination. That is why we approach cutting table fluids as process chemistry, rather than commodity water treatment. The fluid needs to match the job being performed.
Plasma and waterjet operations share several fluid-management challenges, including corrosion, contamination, and changing water conditions. However, the cutting processes and equipment place different demands on the chemistry, making it important to select a fluid for the specific application and the job it needs to perform.
| Application | Chemistry to Evaluate |
|---|---|
| Plasma cutting tables | Cooling, corrosion protection, fluid stability, contamination, and table condition |
| Plasma torch systems | Cooling and protection within the torch cooling circuit |
| Waterjet cutting tables | Water conditioning, corrosion control, abrasive and metal contamination, and table condition |
| Oxy-fuel cutting systems | Heat, corrosion, contamination, and cutting table maintenance |
These differences become especially significant when selecting or replacing cutting fluids. A product formulated to condition the water in a cutting table serves a different purpose than a coolant designed to circulate through a plasma torch cooling system, and the two should not be treated as interchangeable.
So, always review the applicable product documentation and equipment requirements to make sure the chemistry is appropriate for the cutting process, materials, and system.
Changing chemistry doesn’t correct every cutting table problem. When a table is difficult to maintain, we look at the entire operating environment, including factors like:
This is pertinent because chemistry works within the system around it. Heavy deposits, accumulated contamination, or neglected table maintenance continue to affect operation even after fresh fluid is introduced. In those situations, cleaning and restoring the system becomes part of the process.
Our broader cutting table fluids line includes plasma and waterjet fluids along with coatings and cleaners developed for cutting equipment.
Fluid management works best as part of a broader maintenance strategy. Our table coatings and cleaners category includes products designed to address grease, oil, contamination, slag buildup, and dross adhesion on plasma, laser, and waterjet systems. We also manufacture anti-spatter coatings for applications where controlling slag and spatter adhesion helps reduce cleanup on torches, fixtures, tables, and metal surfaces.
Instead of adding more chemicals to the process, your goal should be to use the right chemistry at the right point so cleaning, protection, and fluid maintenance work together.
Choosing the right plasma or waterjet fluid starts with understanding how and where the chemistry will be used. Because equipment, materials, operating conditions, and maintenance challenges can vary considerably between applications, our team may ask questions such as:
These details help us understand the demands being placed on the fluid and identify chemistry appropriate for the application. PICO manufactures several products within this category because plasma and waterjet operations do not all have the same equipment, materials, operating conditions, or performance requirements.
Not every cutting operation can be addressed with a standard product. Differences in equipment, metallurgy, water quality, contamination, operating conditions, or downstream processes can create more specialized chemical requirements.
That is where our custom chemical formulation services become relevant. We evaluate the process, materials, equipment, contamination, residue, and performance requirements before determining whether an existing product, process adjustment, modified formulation, or custom chemistry is the right path.
When additional evaluation is needed, our laboratory capabilities can support compatibility testing, stability testing, pH measurement, viscosity measurement, residue analysis, scale analysis, and product validation.
Use a fluid specifically designed for the cutting table and compatible with the equipment, metals, and operating requirements involved. PICO manufactures several plasma cutting table products, including PICO QUENCH GUARD G and PICO QUENCH GUARD 55. Product selection should be based on the specific cutting system and application requirements rather than treating all plasma tables the same.
A dedicated plasma cutting table fluid provides functionality that untreated water does not. PICO's plasma and waterjet fluid line includes products designed around corrosion inhibition, biological control, cooling, and table conditioning. The appropriate chemistry depends on the equipment and operating environment.
A waterjet table conditioner is process chemistry used to condition the water environment within a waterjet cutting table. PICO manufactures PICOTREAT J21 specifically as a waterjet table conditioner. Product documentation should be reviewed for the specific application and operating requirements.
Yes. PICO PTC 730 is part of our plasma and waterjet fluid product line and is identified specifically as a plasma torch coolant. Torch cooling circuits have different requirements from cutting table reservoirs, so the correct product should be selected for the specific system.
Yes. We work with industrial customers to evaluate the chemistry, process conditions, contamination, residue, materials, equipment, and performance problem. Our technical and laboratory capabilities provide a structured way to determine whether the issue requires an existing product, system cleaning, process adjustment, testing, or formulation work.
