Plasma and oxyfuel cutting: A comparison

Source：Ringier Release Date：2012-03-20 155

Several types of metal-cutting solutions exist in the market today, and selecting the right technology that maximises investment and produces the best cutting results can be a business’ best decision.

Piercing with plasma will increase your productivity; there is no preheating required.

Oxyfuel cutting employs a chemical (exothermic) reaction between oxygen and steel to generate sufficient heat to melt the steel which is blown out of the gap by the gases used. This method is only suitable for cutting carbon steel and is typically used to cut plates that are more than 50mm thick. Oxyfuel cutting is not effective on stainless steel or aluminium.

To cut through any material that can conduct electricity, plasma cutting uses a high-temperature, electrically-conductive gas such as nitrogen and oxygen. It is suitable for ferrous and non-ferrous material, and for metal that is in any condition (even rusted, painted, or grated). It usually covers thicknesses ranging from gauge to 50mm but recent technological improvements have made way for plasma systems that can pierce 75mm-thick metal and sever 160mm-thick metal.

With oxyfuel the metal needs to be preheated to nearly 1000oC before you can start piercing.

Plasma cutting is suitable for ferrous and non-ferrous material, and metal in any condition. With these basic differences between oxyfuel and plasma, companies in India may be able to instantly decide on which cutting system to use based on their critical business needs. But for more specific factors such as ease-of-use, cut quality, productivity and cost, this article explores the comparisons that companies should consider before deciding whether oxyfuel or plasma is the best way forward.

Ease-of-use

In recent years, ease-of-use of technical processes has been gaining importance as a key decision factor in India, primarily because it minimises training, improves safety, and ultimately increases profitability. And comparing oxyfuel to plasma, the latter prevails over most ease-of-use considerations.

For one, plasma is easier and safer to operate because it runs on compressed air. This means that there are no gases to mix or regulate. In using oxyfuel, operators need to set and maintain the flame chemistry. This skill takes timNIKE AIR JORDAN