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What modern plasma cutting technology can do for you
With new developments, plasma cutters are sufficiently armed to defend their ground against fiber lasers and waterjet cutters.

What modern plasma cutting technology can do for you

Plasma cutting technology has not stood still in recent years. Nor will it in the years to come. Manufacturers continue to invest in R&D to make the technology a valuable addition to many workshops. Due to recent developments, metalworkers would do well to reconsider the use of plasma cutting technology in their production.

A race in power is currently underway in fiber laser cutting systems. The goal? Easier cutting through thicker materials, thus entering the traditional playing field of plasma cutting machines. In addition, plasma technology also feels competition from waterjet cutting machines, which in turn can handle a wider variety of materials. Still, new developments have armed them sufficiently to defend their ground. We list some of them for you.

Flexibility in capabilities

In metalworking companies where thick materials are the main focus of the cutting table, plasma cutting systems are still well established. More so, they are the choice of choice and already enable users to smoothly cut through materials over 5 cm even with relatively limited powers of 200 to 400 A. If it goes above 20 cm in non-ferrous materials, then higher powers (1,000 A) are looked at anyway. But do enough of these pieces pass through to justify the investment? A question that arises less because more flexibility in plasma cutting sources means that users can now achieve cutting powers of up to 600 to 800 A even with 300 or 400 A sources. After all, without much technical knowledge or the visit of a mechanic, you can easily couple two sources to create a more powerful beam. And the rest of the time they can work in parallel. Just be sure to choose consumables designed for such an application for optimum cutting quality and speed.

Easier to scale up

So is it right to invest today, or is there a lot more in the pipeline tomorrow? Suppliers of plasma cutting technology help their customers balance the requirements they have today with the capabilities they want in the future by adopting a modular approach. So if you invest in a 200 A power source today, you can be confident that you can upgrade it without having to replace the torch, gas tanks, cables and table. It is simply a matter of adding new power modules and updating the electronics. So that way, companies don't have to worry about buying "too little. If mainly 5 cm material needs to be cut today and tomorrow a 10 mm project presents itself, that can be arranged without much fuss at a price that is only half of what a completely new system with higher power would cost.

Perfect weld preparation and more

One of the most important additions in recent years has been the beveling capabilities of modern plasma cutting technology. Something traditionally associated with welding preparations. Indeed, the beveled edges make more room for the welding wire, creating sturdy joints that can support enormous weights and loads. Tilting the plasma cutting torch as it cuts the workpiece creates the bevel. A technique that can serve equally well to improve the quality of cutting small holes. By applying a correction value to the cutting head, you get better cylindricity. Without a chamfer, there can be a difference of 0.4 to 0.6 mm between the top and bottom of a hole. With a chamfer torch, that difference is reduced to 0.1 mm. ■

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