There are many ways to cut steel and steel parts. One of the most common methods used to cut steel is steel plasma cutting.
What is steel plasma cutting
Before understanding what plasma cutting is, let’s understand the basics. What is plasma? Plasma is the 4th state of matter. We know that things can be solid, liquid, or gas and each state transforms to the other via the introduction of energy, such as heat. Now, if you apply heat energy to gas, it will become ionized and electrically conductive, becoming plasma.
Plasma cutting is the process of cutting an electrically conductive material by means of an accelerated jet of hot plasma. The most common materials which can be cut using this method are steel, stainless steel, copper, brass, and aluminum.
Due to the high precision and speed at which steel can be cut using plasma cutting, this method is used in many industries such as manufacturing, construction, automotive projects, etc.
How does plasma cutting work
In plasma cutting, a plasma arc is formed by letting a gas pass through a constricted opening and sending an electric arc through this gas. This results in the formation of a plasma jet. This high-speed plasma jet immediately reaches a temperature of up to 40,000 degree Fahrenheit and pierces through the metal blowing away the molten pieces.
There can be mainly two types of plasma cutters-manual and mechanized.
Manual plasma cutters are used in workshops for thin metal cutting, building construction, trailer production, agricultural maintenance, car repair, metal scrapping, etc.
Mechanized plasma cutters are usually much larger than manual ones and they can take up a lot more space. They are used in conjunction with a cutting table and can be integrated with other systems such as punching or laser cutting machines.
Advantages of Plasma cutting
-Almost all electrically conductive materials can be cut using this method
-Can be used to cut mild steel of small and medium thicknesses very effectively
-Very low heat input is required to cut high strength structural steel
-High cutting speeds
-Low noise levels when cutting underwater
Disadvantages of plasma cutting
-Relatively high consumption of power
-High noise levels when dry cutting
-Fume when cutting in air
Are you looking for steel cutting services in Melbourne? At Melsteel, we offer steel plasma cutting services. With more than 30 years of experience in the steel industry, we are experts in all types of steel fabrication services. Send us an enquiry or contact us today on 03 8794 3100 to discuss your needs.