Plasma cutter swirl rings are used to inject air between the tip of the plasma torch and the electrode of the plasma cutter torch. The swirl rings are ceramic and also act as an insulating barrier between the tip and the electrode. As the air rushes past it is ionised by a high voltage and subsequently changes to a plasma due to the high electron valence energies. We have them available for the generic ESAB PT31 plasma torch and you can get them here – Plasma cutter swirl rings