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CNC Plasma Cutting Tables
CNC Plasma Tables for Automotive & Motorsports Fabrication
Nothing stalls a build like waiting a week on a $40 bracket. With an Arclight CNC plasma table in the shop, every bracket, gusset, and patch panel in the build comes off the table the same day you design it — cut, welded, and on the car while an outside vendor would still be quoting the job.
Arclight tables run in performance shops, off-road builders, and restoration garages nationwide, cutting everything from thin body panels to chassis plate. Whether it’s a frame-off restoration or a dirt-track chassis, the fabrication bottleneck is the same — and so is the fix.
Trusted By
Built for Shops That Build Cars
- Lifetime US-based support that follows the table
- Same-day parts shipping — your table never becomes the project car
- 3-year motion warranty and a 30-day guarantee
- Digital torch height control (DTHC) standard for clean cuts on thin gauge
What Automotive Shops Cut on an Arclight
One-off or twenty-off — if you can draw it, you can cut it:
- Roll cage mounting plates and gussets — repeatable structural parts, identical on both sides of the car.
- Motor mounts and engine brackets — design the swap bracket once, cut it on demand for every combination.
- Patch panels and floor pans — stop hand-matching rusted originals. Digitize the shape and cut clean replacement steel.
- Exhaust flanges — gasket-ready flanges in minutes, from singles to a full batch.
- Skid plates and UTV armor — full-coverage off-road protection cut from a single sheet.
- Dash panels, firewalls, and suspension tabs — the hundred small parts that make a build look professional.
Add the rotary tube cutter attachment and the same machine copes chassis tube for cages and frames.
The Right Table for an Automotive Shop
Automotive work rewards a table that fits the shop you have, not the building you wish you had. Three proven setups:
Fine-cut consumables keep 18–20 gauge panel work clean; the same table still cuts chassis plate.
From $13,495. The tight-bay favorite. Compact 4×4 and 4×8 sizes fit a two-bay shop without giving up a lift, running ARCCNC control with pro-level cut quality.
From $23,395. For shops that want the full design-to-cut workflow: integrated FlashCut CAD/CAM makes tracing, importing, and toolpathing one-off parts fast.
From $29,295. Arclight’s top seller — the step up for shops running production batches of brackets, armor, or aftermarket parts.
Compare the Three Side by Side
For an automotive shop the rows that decide it are table size against the bay you have, the CNC control you’ll be working in every day, and whether you need oxy-fuel for thick plate.
Everything else is the same on all three: integrated CAD/CAM software, Hiwin® 20mm linear rails, .001" positioning accuracy, DTHC standard, and lifetime US-based support. Get a quote and we’ll spec the right one against your actual work.
Why Automotive Builders Choose Arclight
Car builders are fab-literate and time-poor, and Arclight tables are built for exactly that buyer. DTHC holds torch height on thin panels automatically, fine-cut consumables keep gauge work clean, and the included software turns a traced bracket or downloaded design into a cut file fast. Design a part once and it is repeatable forever — no more reverse-engineering your own hand-made original.
And when a customer deadline or a race weekend is on the line, uptime is everything: lifetime US-based support and same-day parts keep the table cutting. That’s the difference between a machine you bought and a fabrication capability you can bet a deadline on.
Worth knowing: tables arrive 98% assembled, and a $500 deposit holds your spot in the build queue.
In the Shop: Classic Car Studios
Classic Car Studios builds high-end restomods — the kind of cars where every bracket, mount, and panel is custom — and an Arclight keeps that fabrication in-house, on the shop’s schedule instead of a vendor’s queue. They’re in good company: Offroad Anonymous, Vintage Fabrication, and Phantom Fabrication all run Arclight tables on builds that have to ship. Automotive shops keep choosing Arclight because the machine stays cutting — lifetime US-based support, same-day parts, and a real person on the phone, not a ticket queue. That’s the difference between a build that flows and a build that stalls.
Support That Keeps the Build Moving
Every Arclight table includes lifetime US-based support that follows the table for good — new owner or second owner, you get the same team. Parts ship same-day, the motion system carries a 3-year warranty, and a 30-day guarantee backs the machine. Hit a snag the Thursday before a race weekend and you get a person on the phone, not a ticket queue.
Automotive Plasma Table FAQ
Can a plasma table cut thin body panels without warping?
Yes. With fine-cut consumables and correct settings, a CNC plasma table cuts 18–20 gauge body panels cleanly. Warping comes from heat, and the machine’s consistent travel speed plus digital torch height control put less heat into a panel than hand cutting does. Most warp problems trace back to hand-held technique, not CNC plasma.
Can a plasma table cut 4130 chromoly?
Yes. CNC plasma cuts 4130 chromoly cleanly for chassis brackets, gussets, and mounting plates. Because plasma is a thermal process, the cut edge picks up a small heat-affected zone, so many chassis builders dress edges before welding critical structural parts. Plasma-cut 4130 brackets and gussets are standard practice in race fabrication.
Can I copy an existing bracket or panel and turn it into a cut file?
Yes. Trace or scan the original part, photograph it, or measure it, then convert the outline into a cut file with the included CAD/CAM software. Once digitized, the part is repeatable forever — cut one or twenty identical brackets on demand instead of hand-matching every replacement to a worn original.
What size plasma table fits a two-bay automotive shop?
A 4×4 CNC plasma table fits comfortably in a two-bay shop and covers most automotive work: brackets, gussets, tabs, flanges, and most patch panels. Step up to a 4×8 if you cut full sheets or long floor pans. Size the table to the parts you actually make, not the biggest job imaginable.
Plasma or laser for one-off car parts?
For one-off automotive parts, plasma delivers professional results at a fraction of fiber laser cost. Laser’s finer edge matters most in high-volume thin-gauge production; on parts that get welded, ground, and powder coated, a plasma-cut edge is indistinguishable in the finished build. Most automotive shops can’t justify the laser premium for one-offs.
How fast does in-house cutting pay off versus outsourcing?
Fast, if you outsource today. A one-off bracket from a waterjet vendor costs real money and a week of waiting; on your own table it’s minutes and drop steel. Shops cutting brackets, mounts, and panels every week commonly recover a table’s cost within the first year — and stop scheduling builds around vendors.
Do I need CNC experience to run a plasma table?
No. Arclight’s support team gets first-time owners cutting quickly, and the included CAD/CAM software handles drawing, importing, and toolpaths. If you can read a tape measure and run a grinder, you can learn a plasma table. Lifetime US-based support means a real person walks you through anything you hit.
Can a plasma table cut aluminum for brackets and panels?
Yes. Plasma cuts aluminum well, so the same table that cuts steel brackets also handles aluminum panels, mounts, and trim. Expect a slightly rougher edge than on mild steel, and clean cuts before welding. For automotive one-offs and small batches, plasma is the most economical way to cut aluminum in-house.
Stop Waiting on Brackets
Tell us what you build and what you’re tired of outsourcing. We’ll spec the right table and power source for your bays and your budget — real prices included.
Or contact sales direct
Rather talk it through? Send us a note and an Arclight rep will get back to you.
See how other shops use their tables at our Industries hub.