Patent ID: 8420975

Claim:
A plasma torch comprising: a torch main unit having a nozzle seat member; a nozzle mounted on the nozzle seat member; and a coolant circuit for cooling the nozzle, the coolant circuit including a coolant feed pipe arranged to feed a coolant from a cooling system to the plasma torch, a coolant discharge pipe arranged to discharge the coolant from the plasma torch to the cooling system, and a coolant channel formed between the coolant feed pipe and the coolant discharge pipe, the nozzle being arranged to move toward the nozzle seat member or away from the nozzle seat member in a direction substantially parallel to a center axis of the nozzle when the nozzle is mounted on or removed from the nozzle seat member, the nozzle having an electroconductive surface facing the nozzle seat member; the torch main unit having an elastic electric contact portion contacting with the electroconductive surface of the nozzle to form an electroconductive path for a pilot arc to the nozzle, the torch main unit and the nozzle being arranged such that the electroconductive surface of the nozzle presses the electric contact portion of the torch main unit in the direction substantially parallel to the center axis when the nozzle is moved toward the nozzle seat member in order to mount the nozzle on the nozzle seat member, a contacting location between the electroconductive surface of the nozzle and an electroconductive surface of the electric contact portion of the torch main unit being disposed inside the coolant channel.