A photograph captures an industrial plasma cutter slicing through a steel sheet, with bright sparks and focused arc light in a dimly lit workshop.

Do Plasma Cutters Use Gas or Compressed Air? Here’s the Real Deal

Plasma cutting is one of the fastest, cleanest ways to slice through metal—and it’s more accessible than ever. One reason for that? Most modern plasma cutters don’t need expensive gas cylinders. Instead, they run on something you probably already have in your shop: compressed air. Let’s get into how these machines work, what they actually…