THE FABRICATION INDUSTRIES ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR WAYS TO CUT COMPONENT PARTS AND SHAPES TO TIGHTER TOLERANCES THAT REQUIRE LESS FINISH WORK. RESEARCHERS HAVE NOW FOUND BETTER WAYS TO STABILIZE AND CONTROL THE PLASMA ARC PROCESS. THIS PRODUCES RESULTS THAT IN MANY APPLICATIONS APPROACH THE PERFORMANCE OF LASER CUTTING. THIS PAPER WILL DISCUSS THE NEW PROCESS AND HOW IT WORKS. PERFORMANCE DATA WILL BE PRESENTED INCLUDING CUTTING SPEED, EDGE HARDENING, HEAT DEFORMATION, AND OTHER QUALITY FACTORS. FINALLY, THE BENEFITS ACHIEVED BY THE USE OF THE NEW PROCESS IN SEVERAL INSTALLATIONS WILL BE DISCUSSED.