Sheet Metal Plasma Cutting

The plasma cutting collocation with different gases can be cut a variety of flame cutting difficult to cut metals. Especially for non-ferrous metals cut effect better, like the stainless steel, aluminum, copper, titanium, nickel. Usually the cut thickness less than 30mm. Compared with the flame cutting, the plasma metal cutting have the advantages of the high cut speed (the cut speed is 3-4 multiples of flame cut), cut surface smooth, small heat distortion and less heat affected area. This cutting is widely used in automobiles, locomotives, pressure vessels, chemical machinery, construction machinery, steel structure, ship industry and more. But the laser cutting is gradually replacing the plasma metal cutting due to the equipment costs and the using cost reduction.

The difference between flame cutting (oxy acetylene cutting) and plasma cutting:
1. Different cut methods: the flame cutting is use of the gas burning to achieve high temperature processing. The plasma metal cut is use of the high temperature plasma arc heat to achieve processing.
2. Use different gas: the flame cutting work requires gas and oxygen, and it can be used in three kinds of gas: coal gas, propane, acetylene. The gas used in the plasma metal cut process includes argon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, air, water vapor and other mixed gases.
3. Cut thickness: the thickness of the flame cutting from 6mm to 200mm, and the cut thickness can be reach more than 300mm after the equipment is modified. The thickness of the plasma metal cutting is determined to the specification of power supply.
4. Different cutting applications: the flame cutting is usually used for the processing the materials of more than 20mm thickness carbon steel. The plasma metal cut are mainly used for processing the less than 20mm thickness metals, such as: steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, titanium, nickel.
5. Cut speed: if cut for 20mm thickness steel plate with the flame cutting speed: 450mm/min and the plasma metal cutting speed: 1500mm/min.