Plasma cuts metals for industrial manufacturing

Plasma cutting system is a type of metal cutting process that is widely used in industrial manufacturing applications because it can cut any metal up to 6-inch thickness and is less expensive when compared to laser cutting. Hypertherm (Singapore) Pte Ltd Regional Sales Manager Mr. Khoo Chong Guan explained to International Metalworking News for Asia (IMNA) the benefits of using plasma cutting process in industrial manufacturing. According to Mr. Khoo, the use of plasma cutting presents many benefits to its users. Firstly, plasma cutting requires no preheating of the torch before use, and minimal post-cutting clean-up is needed because very little dross is created. Therefore, users will be able to work faster and cleaner. Electrically-charged gas at a very high temperature melts the metal and blows the molten material away to form a cut. Plasma cutting can also be very economical as consumables need not be replaced very often, depending on the quality of the system used. Safety is also a plus point for plasma cutting, since no flammable gases are used in the process. Finally, compared to other cutting technologies, plasma has a wider cutting range, making plasma a versatile cutting choice. When asked if how easy manufacturers make the transition to plasma cutting, Mr. Khoo said that the transition isn't difficult at all, as there are a number of ways to go about doing it, and setting up the necessary equipment does not take long. "I have an example of the benefits of switching to plasma cutting. Kotsons, a customer of ours in India that manufactures electrical transformers, recently decided to switch to plasma from oxyfuel. The transition allowed Kotsons to experience cutting speeds 10 times faster than before. Business grew dramatically, and they were able to easily accommodate any size or cuts required by customers," Mr. Khoo added. How plasma cuts through metal The plasma cutting process, as used in the cutting of electrically conductive metals, utilises this electrically conductive gas to transfer energy from an electrical power source through a plasma cutting torch to the material being cut. The basic plasma arc cutting system consists of a power supply, an arc starting circuit and a torch. These system components provide the electrical energy, ionisation capability and process control that is necessary to produce high quality, highly productive cuts on a variety of different materials. The power supply is a constant current DC power source. The open circuit voltage is typically in the range of 240 to 400 VDC. The output current (amperage) of the power supply determines the speed and cut thickness capability of the system. The main function of the power supply is to provide the correct energy to maintain the plasma arc after ionisation. The arc starting circuit is a high-frequency generator circuit that produces an AC voltage of 5,000 to 10,000 volts at about 2 megahertz. This voltage is used to create a high intensity arc inside the torch to ionise the gas, thereby producing the plasma. The torch serves as the holder for the consumable nozzle and electrode, and provides cooling (either gas or water) to these parts. The nozzle and electrode constrict and maintain the plasma jet. Cutting steel using Hypertherm plasma Hypertherm's patent-pending technology, PowerPierce, has robust production pierce capability of up to 50mm (2-inch) mild steel and therefore pre-drilling is not needed. The overall cutting process is made easier with this new capability. To cater specifically to thick stainless steel and aluminium market, we recently released a new product, HPR800XD, which not only features PowerPierce technology for the ability to production pierce 3-inch (75mm), but can also sever 6 1/4- inch (160mm) thick metal. This same machine can easily cut thiHighsnobiety Style