What is a plasma cutter?
Metal fabrication has seen plenty of innovations over the years, but cutting-edge plasma cutter technology provides unparalleled speed, accuracy and versatility compared to its counterparts. Discover the ways in which this technique is innovating the metal fabrication landscape below.
A Brief Breakdown
Plasma – the state of matter achieved by heating gas to extreme temperatures – is used for cutting, thanks to its incredibly high temperature and precision, allowing for seamless, hot-knife-through-butter cutting that other methods can’t match.
This high-temperature, high-speed jet is achieved through a plasma arc, with the extreme heat and force produced by the arc melting and dislodging metal simultaneously in order to produce a clean cut.
The gases passed through this arc are typically argon, hydrogen or nitrogen, although a mix of gases can also be used. The arc causes the gases to ionise, which is essentially a complete breakdown of their atomic structure, resulting in the extremely hot plasma. High-pressure gas then blows the plasma through the nozzle at around 800 metres per second.
Plasma has also been used to great success in coating. By using a thermal plasma spray, powdered materials can be instantly melted and forced onto a surface, providing a neat, precise coating that is easily adjustable. You can find advice and services for plasma coating online, such as at https://www.poeton.co.uk/advanced-treatments/apticote-800-thermal-plasma-spray/ .
Pros and Cons
The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages of plasma cutting, and most issues you’ll encounter can be avoided with proper safety precautions. You can find guidance on the best safety practices here:
As for the advantages, plasma cutting is highly efficient, especially for large-scale processing, with its energy usage actually being more economical thanks to the absence of cutting gas expenses. Again, this is especially noticeable in large-scale projects.
The method is also very versatile, with the added temperature allowing for higher melting points to be reached – consider titanium, tungsten, cast iron or stainless steel.
The precision of plasma cutting is one of its best aspects. The plasma arc provides sharp, neat cuts without deforming adjacent metal, a shortcoming of some other cutting methods.
