Metal cutting can be categorised into two – mechanical and thermal cutting. Plasma cutting is a thermal cutting method where ionised gas is used for cutting the metal.
Plasma cutting can be done by hand, using a hand held plasma torch. These are sometimes known as plasma arcs, plasma guns, or plasma cutters. There are different types of plasma torch depending on what thickness of metal you are likely to be cutting. Plasma Cutting also has more industrial applications, such as CNC Plasma Cutting which cuts profiles from digital files onto larger sheets of metal. These sorts of processes make Plasma Cutting super precise in profile cutting.
It is one of the most widely used techniques to cut thick metal plates but is also available for sheet metal. Here are the advantages and capabilities of plasma cutting with respect to conventional mechanical cutting.
Able to cut all conductive materials. Flame cutting, though also suitable for cutting thick metals, is limited to ferrous metals only.
Great quality for thickness up to 50 mm.
Maximum thickness up to 150 mm.
Comparatively cheap for medium thickness cuts.
Best way to cut medium thickness stainless steel and aluminium.
CNC machines are available to provide high precision and repeatability.
Can cut in water, resulting in smaller HAZ. Also reduces noise levels.
Smaller cutting kerf compared to flame cutting.
Quicker cutting speed than oxyfuel.
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