What are the cutting technologies for precision hardware processing? How to choose a cutting process?
As the demand for cutting for precision metalworking applications continues to increase, new cutting techniques are being developed; more precise and more economical. When it comes to the precision metal processing techniques used today; the most common are laser cutting, plasma cutting or water jet cutting. The choice of cutting technique greatly affects the overall cost of metal position fabrication, i.e. structure, as well as their quality. The question is, which precision metal processing cutting technology is the best?
1. Laser metal cutting
Laser metal cutting has been in use for 25 years and cutting technology is constantly improving. From the initial use of lasers, modern technology, especially CNC, has improved the precision and economy of laser cutting, making it one of the most affordable cutting technologies. Depending on the intensity, the laser technology can cut soft metals up to 12.7mm thick, up to 10mm thick and aluminum up to 5mm thick. The maximum metal thickness for laser cutting is 25 mm (structural and stainless steel), 15 mm (aluminum).
Precision metalworking metal cutting is most often used to cut metal of uniform structure, while impurities and additives greatly reduce the quality of the cut. In addition to reducing quality, molten metal, which is an unavoidable cut product, can damage the optical lens of the laser. Today, in practice, it is increasingly necessary to cut very thin materials that require additional operations during cutting. Due to the low material thickness, the heat generated by the cutting process itself must be dissipated.
Therefore, laser cutting is used to cut various metal types and maximum thicknesses, depending on the power of the laser. Economy and quality; the combination of laser and CNC technology makes it possible to perform cuts and very complex positions.
Second, plasma cutting
Plasma cutting has been in practice since it was first used in 1960. In the past five years, this cutting technology has undergone a revolution. New cutting methods have been developed with increased precision, metal thickness and cut quality.
Such plasma cutting involves directing negatively charged gas ions at charged speeds almost instantaneously into the metal being cut. It should be noted that the metal during plasma cutting is positively charged. After the plasma beam penetrates the metal. Due to the high temperature, there is a risk of corrosion, so assist gas is also applied during cutting. The choice of auxiliary gas in plasma cutting depends to a large extent on the precision metal processing metal being cut. For example, when cutting stainless steel, air, oxygen, or a mixture of argon and hydrogen can be used, and when it comes to cutting aluminum, only air can be used as an assist gas.
Plasma cutting is typically used for metal thicknesses from 8 to 31.75mm. Due to the advantages of high cutting speeds, plasma cutting is also characterized by the development of high temperatures, which can damage the material being cut.
Three, water jet metal cutting
Water jet precision metal machining cutting is the same as the first two cutting techniques in application and practice. The principle of water jet cutting operation involves accelerating the mixing of water and grinding media to the speed of sound. At these speeds, the water penetrates into the metal being cut, cutting the metal just like previous cutting techniques.
Water jet cutting parameters are mostly equal for all cut precision metalworking metals. One of the main advantages of this metal cutting is the high precision and low temperature development when cutting. These advantages make water cutting the most acceptable technique for metals up to 100mm thick. The waterjet loses accuracy above 100mm and exits from an accuracy range of about 0.0076 to 0.381mm.
Which cutting technique should you choose?
When choosing the best precision metal processing cutting technology, the precision required for cutting and the characteristics of the material to be cut must first be considered. Also, it is necessary to include the speed or position of the metal to be machined in the calculation.
Therefore, for metals that require more complex and precise machining, laser cutting is recommended, with high precision and cutting efficiency. In practice, this means that laser cutting is most economical for metal thicknesses up to 10mm, which do not have highly reflective properties and moderate thicknesses. Likewise, plasma cutting is most economical for metals up to 10mm thick. Typically, plasma cutting is used for larger size and thicker sections of sheet material. Water cutting is recommended for metals up to 460 mm thick or temperature sensitive metals.
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