Plasma Cutting Machine Reviews - Working, Applications, Advantages, And disadvantages
What Is A Plasma Cutting Machine?
Plasma cutting machines are machines that are used to cut metals that are good conductors of electricity, through an accelerated jet of hot plasma instead of mechanically cutting it. Depending on the material, plasma cutting can be done through compressed air or other gases.
What Is The Process If Plasma Cutting?
In the plasma cutting or plasma arc cutting process, a jet of ionized gas at 20,000°C temperature is used to melt and expel material from the cut. And between the cathode (electrode) and anode (workpiece), an electric arc will be stuck. This is a kind of melting process is called the plasma-cutting process.
It is the torch head that helps to produce clean sharp cuts. And who do you think helps a computer to control this torch head? Yes, it is the CNC plasma cutting tables. The advanced technology of CNC plasma equipment made impossible things possible, they made our complex welding and cutting work easy. Because they are capable of multi-axis cutting of thick material.
The Function Or Working Of The Plasma Cutting Machine
The working of the plasma-cutting machine is very simple. Gas (shop air, nitrogen, argon, oxygen, etc) is passed through a constricted opening and an electric arc is sent through this passing gas. This will result in the rise of gas temperature and will eventually enter the 4th stage of matter.
I hope you know the 4 stages of matter: i.e., solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Plasma is an additional stage called by the scientist. The metal benign cut is a part of the circuit. And this plasma has got electrical conductivity and causes the arc to transfer to the work.
Like air passing through a venturi in a carburetor, at high speed, the restricted opening (nozzle) the gas passes through causes it to squeeze. The high-speed gas formed like this cuts through the molten metal. To shield the cut, the gas is also directed around the perimeter of the cutting area of the metal.
Nowadays in many plasma cutters, between the electrode and nozzle, a pilot arc is been used to ionize the gas. Likewise, initially generate the plasma prior to the arc transfer. Here electrode and nozzle are the two things that have a chance of wearing out and require periodic replacement.
Using of high-frequency starting circuit like a spark plug and touching the torch tip to the working material to create a spark are the other two methods. But they are not compatible with CNC Automated Cutting.
Now CNC plasma cutting machine units are using computers made specifically for running burning machines, but these computers are super expensive. Or they also use personal computers adapted to run the machines. When both provide the same cut quality and production speed, it is you who should decide which one you should use.
In CNC plasma cutting machines, on the computer screen, you can insert all the details about the shape you need and without having to touch the material you can cut them automatically. You can set acceleration and deceleration at corners, scale up or down in seconds, pause for piercing, and other functions with the CNC software program. But these are not possible with electric eye units.
Types Of Plasma Cutting
Basically, there are two categories of plasma cutting systems they are Conventional and Precision plasma systems.
Conventional Plasma Systems
This system usually uses shop air as the plasma gas. Here nozzle of the torch determines the shape of the arc. Handheld systems fall in this category where only lower tolerance materials have been cut. But the disadvantage of this type of plasma cutting is that they will be less precise than the other form of plasma cutting.
Precision Plasma Systems
To achieve optimal cuts on a wide range of conductive materials, a precision plasma system uses a variety of gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, or a mix of hydrogen, nitrogen, and argon. This kind of CNC-controlled system is designed to produce the most precise cuts achievable using plasma. They are capable to cut more complex torches and the designs and the shape of the arc are constricted to add precision.
Applications
In today’s fast-growing world where each country sinks money into infrastructure development and all, there are plenty of applications for a plasma cutting machine or technology. The range of plasma cutting applications includes;
- Fabrication
- Shipyard manufacturing
- Construction sites
- Manufacturing
- Metalworking
- Maintenance and repair
- Trade schools
- Advantages of Plasma Cutting
Now let's discuss the main benefits of using a plasma cutting machine on your metal material.
1. More Versatility
Plasma cutting uses an electric arc and can be performed on diverse types of metal that are conductive like steel, iron, copper, brass, aluminum, stainless steel, and other durable materials. Unlike Techniques like Oxyfuel, plasma cutting is the fastest cutting method that can cut different materials stacked on top of one another. It can create versatile cuts which are useful for your artwork or projects.
2. User friendly
You can move plasma-cutting machines wherever the job demands since they are portable. There are plasma-cutting machine brands that can be easily handled by one user. A well-trained plasma-cutting operator is enough to do a lot of metal-cutting work very safely and reliably.
3. Fast Cuts
A plasma cutting machine can win over any other cutting tools since it performs very fast, they are a time saver and is a lot easier to use than other cutting equipment. They only need a quarter of the time to do their job compared to other tools and they are tools that don't need to be preheated before cutting. So it needs less time to cut the metal and thereby helping you to finish your project on time.
4. Precision
Everyone needs precise metal cutting for a better outcome. With other cutting tools, only an experienced operator can cut metal precisely. Even an experienced operator also can make mistakes but not a plasma cutter. If you have given the correct instruction then the plasma cutter will give the best result.
So what do you think is the main advantage of plasma cutter? Yes, it is precision or accurate cutting, especially when there is a need to cut sheet metal in shapes or angles. The quality of precise cutting makes the plasma cutting tool different from any other cutting tool technique.
5. Lower Price
By using a plasma cutter you can deduce the production cost. As they are capable of cutting things faster and with less wastage. Adding to this the chances for job injuries are less as plasma cutters are safe to use compared to other cutting tools, so the chances of loss are very less. In turn, the price comes down for the end user. Because of these reasons plasma cutting is more cost-effective compared to any other cutting tool.
6. Speed of Piercing
Compared to Oxyfuel, plasma cutting has the highest speed for piercing. And this is an important quality any cutting tool should possess. For Oxyfuel to pierce a 15mm metal, the first thing we have to do is heat up the metal to 1000 degrees Celsius. Time taken for this preheating gets eliminated by the use of a plasma cutter. They can pierce them in 2 seconds, which implies less cost of production for the end users.
7. Safety
A plasma cutter uses gas that is not highly flammable, which makes them safer to work with compared to any other tools. But as any equipment need a well-trained operator, plasma cutting also needs a well-trained operator to ensure that such accidents do not occur and also to ensure your metal is safely and accurately cut.
8. Metal Thickness
A plasma cutter can cut metals that have approximate thicknesses up to one-half inch. Which makes this technique suitable for completing various projects on time and cost-effectively.
9. Shapes and Angle
Just insert the correct measurement, and a plasma cutting machine can make almost any shapes, lines, or angles. Let it be straight lines, curves, and intricate shapes they can make any shape for you, that too with higher accuracy and on time no matter how challenging your project is.
10. Energy-Efficient
Plasma cutting is a way forward as it will make your work more energy efficient. This is why it is considered a more sustainable solution compared to any other tool. This is the reason why their demand is rising day by day in industries and manufacturing companies.
Disadvantages of Plasma Cutting
As said, nothing is perfect in this world. Right? Plasma cutting does have a few disadvantages too. Now let’s see what all are they.
Not good for thicker workpieces.
Even though we have discussed it as an advantage, the plasma cutter is not good to cut thicker or denser metals. The fleeting nature of plasma cutters limits their range to a depth of about one inch. This means if you have giant steel pillars or blocks to cut, then u have to depend on traditional industrial sawing or melting.
Noisy and Excess Fumes
The plasma cutting method doesn't require preheating, but while working on it it will produce excess fumes and a lot of noise. So this can be only done in an open space or a ventilated workspace.
Bright Flashes
Always make sure the employees working near or operating the plasma cutter are issued with safety guidance and suitable eye protection. Since they create very bright flashes while cutting metals.
Incur significant costs
Even though they reduce the operating cost and cheaper per cut compared to Oxyfuel, they still incur significant costs. If the machine breaks down and then the Electrodes can be expensive to source and replace. You will also have to pay a specialist gas supplier. You might have to spend on the fabrication process too if you don't have specialist equipment on site, which is really difficult.
The End
Sorry!! It’s not the end yet!
While selecting a plasma cutting machine don't forget to check its specification and quality. And select a cutting machine according to your requirement. Please feel free to contact Hytek Marketing if you need plasma-cutting machines. Hytek Marketing is considered one of the best Metal Fabrication Machinery suppliers. Whether it’s for the Indian market or for the Global market we don't compromise on the quality of our product.