Cutting Metal to size has been done for centuries. The industrial development has provided 3 metal cutting techniques that are used in a professional environment.
Gone are those days when people had to go through lots of effort to sharpen their tools in order to cut a single piece of metal. Thanks to advanced technology cutting sheet metal became effortless, painless and very precise.
Laser Cutting
It is a highly accurate technique which is used to achieve precise cuts to shape a metal. The word “laser” is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
The laser cutting process takes place by directing a device that generates an intense beam of coherent monochromatic light onto the object that needs to be cut. This laser beam is focused directly on the targeted point of the material, which eventually burns, melts, vaporizes while a jet of gas is used to blow any debris. As a result, it leaves a fine quality surface finish on the edge.
Water Jet Cutting
Cutting is done with a highly pressurized jet of water. Sometimes, water is mixed with an abrasive substance that increases the potential to cut the metal thoroughly.
One of the advantages of using a water jet cutter is that it can be used for all kinds of material such as aryl glass, stone or even leather. It can do that because it does not use heat to cut through the material, which eventually would harm the material in order to be cut.
Plasma Cutting
When it comes to cutting a thicker sheet of metal (metal plate), this method is preferred. Plasma cutting involves the process of thermal heating that makes a great pair of ionized gases and electrical charges.
The material is placed on the bed of the plasma cutter which is then cut by torching a jet of heat. It can be used for both thick and thin metals. Sometimes, intense heat generated on the material can be responsible for changing its intrinsic properties. Therefore, fabricators need to use variant gases to cool down and blow away molten parts.
Summary
The difficulty for cutting a sheet of metal can be managed with the help of its dedicated tools and techniques. It can either make or break a manufacturer purpose for giving a particular cut and shape to the sheet. Specific knowledge, skills, and training are necessary to operate highly technical equipment like today’s metal cutting machines.
As the above mentioned techniques are very expensive in buying and maintaining the machines and therefore only used by metal fabricators, there is metalscut4u.com who might be able to help to get your metal based project done.
It is an online platform that offers a service that could help you towards your sheet metal fabrication project. Not only you have the opportunity to actually configure the metal part in 4 easy steps online, you can also ask for a free quote to meet even more individualized metal project specifications. You have a choice between carbon steel, aluminum or stainless steel, in different finishes and thickness your project might require.
