1. Who operates this website
Plasma Cut Forge is operated by Dom. Questions about this Privacy Policy or requests concerning personal information may be submitted through the Contact page.
2. Information that may be collected
The website may process information that you provide directly, including:
- your name, email address, subject, and message when using the Contact form;
- machine, torch, documentation, country, and contact information submitted through the machine-profile request form;
- account, profile, question, answer, comment, and moderation information used by the Community and article-comment systems;
- feedback submitted through calculator or article-helpfulness features; and
- any other information you voluntarily include in a submission.
Hosting, database, authentication, and security providers may also process technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information, timestamps, requested pages, and security logs.
When a visitor accepts optional analytics, Google Analytics may process information about website use, including pages viewed, approximate location, browser and device information, referral source, session activity, scrolling, and outbound-link interactions.
3. Cookies, local storage, and analytics consent
Local storage
The website may use browser local storage for limited functions such as repeat-submission controls, remembering whether feedback was submitted, preserving interface state, and remembering privacy choices. Local storage remains on your device until it expires, is replaced, or is removed through your browser settings.
Google Analytics
Plasma Cut Forge uses Google Analytics only after a visitor selects Accept analytics in the privacy banner. Analytics remains disabled when the visitor rejects analytics or has not yet made a choice.
When enabled, Google Analytics may collect information about how the website is used, including pages viewed, approximate location, browser and device information, referral source, session activity, scrolling, and outbound-link interactions.
Google Analytics may place first-party cookies, including
_ga and _ga_*, to distinguish browsers,
maintain sessions, and measure website activity.
The visitor's analytics preference is stored in the browser using
the local-storage key
pcf_analytics_consent.
Visitors may review or change their analytics choice at any time by selecting the Cookie settings button displayed on the website.
Third-party services may use their own cookies or similar technologies when you visit or interact with their services. Their practices are governed by their own privacy policies.
4. Why information is used
Information may be used to:
- respond to messages and technical correction reports;
- review and research requested plasma-cutter profiles;
- operate accounts, Community questions and answers, and article comments;
- moderate abuse, spam, unsafe content, and violations of site rules;
- understand website traffic and how visitors use calculators, guides, articles, and technical resources when analytics consent has been granted;
- maintain, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the website and its tools;
- document consent and respond to privacy requests; and
- comply with legal obligations or protect legal rights.
5. Legal bases for processing
Where the GDPR applies, processing may rely on one or more of the following legal bases: your consent; steps taken at your request; performance of a service you requested; legitimate interests in operating, securing, moderating, and improving the website; and compliance with legal obligations.
Optional Google Analytics processing is based on the visitor's consent. Analytics remains disabled unless that consent is provided.
You may withdraw consent for future processing where consent is the applicable legal basis. Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before withdrawal.
6. Service providers and external services
The website currently relies on or links to services that may include:
- GitHub Pages for website hosting and delivery;
- Supabase for database, authentication, submissions, and Community features;
- Google Analytics for optional website-traffic and engagement measurement after visitor consent;
- Google Fonts for delivery of website typefaces;
- Ko-fi for optional financial support and membership services; and
- manufacturer, retailer, documentation, social-media, or other third-party links.
These providers may process information under their own privacy terms. Depending on the provider and its configuration, information may be processed outside your country or outside the European Economic Area using the safeguards available to that provider.
7. Public content
Community questions, answers, display names, and article comments may be visible publicly. Do not publish private contact details, passwords, confidential business information, or information about another person without permission.
8. Retention
Contact messages and machine-profile requests may be retained while they are reviewed and for a reasonable period afterward for follow-up, security, recordkeeping, and dispute prevention.
Community content may remain available until it is deleted, anonymized, or removed through moderation.
Analytics information is retained according to the Google Analytics configuration and Google's applicable service terms. The local analytics-consent preference remains in the visitor's browser until it is changed or removed.
Other provider logs are retained according to each provider's settings and policies.
9. Your privacy rights
Depending on applicable law, you may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or objection to processing, and to withdraw consent. Identity verification may be required before a request is completed.
Analytics consent may be withdrawn through the Cookie settings button displayed on the website.
Submit other privacy requests through the Contact page and select Privacy or data request.
Individuals may also have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent supervisory authority. In Austria, the supervisory authority is the Austrian Data Protection Authority (Österreichische Datenschutzbehörde).
10. Security
Reasonable technical and organizational measures are used to protect submissions, including private database tables and access-control policies. No internet transmission, browser, hosting platform, or database can be guaranteed completely secure.
11. Children
Plasma Cut Forge is intended for adults and technically supervised users. The website is not directed to children, and children should not submit personal information without the involvement of a parent or legal guardian.
12. Changes to this policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated when site features, service providers, or legal requirements change. The date at the top of the page identifies the latest published version.