CNC Plasma cutter helps to obtain a part with perfectly machined edges. There are no mechanical damages at the place of cutting and making holes. This type of processing is used in the cutting industry of metal and steel.
What is a machine?
A CNC plasma cutter is similar in design to a coordinate boring machine , but its working parts and the cutting zone are protected from fire, and an emitter is used instead of a rotating mill or cutter. Otherwise, the principle of operation of the control equipment is not much different. The steps for creating a control program are similar.
Plasma cutting is the most accurate metal cutting method. The width of the seam is equal to tenths of a millimeter, which reduces material consumption. The advantage of processing is the absence of chips, the process is cleaner compared to turning.
After a plasma cutter was chosen instead of a lathe, the price of the products changed significantly. The quality of the goods has become high, even the picky buyer chose products made using the new technology. Seams became invisible on metal doors, grilles, car bodies, racks and shop-window shelves.
Benefits
Compared with relay schemes for implementing an automatic cutting cycle, a CNC plasma cutter allows you to produce large batches of products. High-quality mechanics allows to achieve cosmic accuracy when cutting metal. The operator can specify any form of movement of the working part, which allows you to make patterned figures from metal, plates, symbols.
A CNC plasma cutter consumes little energy due to the exclusion of mechanical contact with the treated surface. Processing speed is the highest to date. In the management of the machine there will be no difficulties for a person familiar with any machine tool based on the CNC system. In the absence of experience, you can undergo training that lasts no more than a month.
Machine design
The price of a plasma cutter depends on the type of cooling of the working space, the size of the table, the length and number of axes. No additional equipment required. The machine has everything you need to get started. External conditions are air pressure and replaceable accessories.
The price of a plasma cutter depends on the type of material being processed, its thickness and varies from 6000 rubles. and higher. The machine can cut workpieces from 0.5 mm to 150.0 mm. Carbon and non-ferrous metals are suitable for cutting; low alloy steels are also cut without compromising weld cleanliness.
In addition to the CNC system, the machine uses a voltage converter, power stabilizer. All parameters are calculated in double excess of the values required for cutting the planned material. This is done to increase the reliability of the plasma cutter during power surges and changes in ambient temperature.
Machine conditions
Regarding the unpretentiousness of the equipment, there are good reviews. Plazmorez, according to consumers, can behave differently depending on the type of material being processed. Therefore, the cutting modes are taken for each type of workpiece before starting work. More often, the main characteristic of the work is the speed of movement of the cutting link, as well as the power of the arc.
According to the opinions of the adjusters, it is recommended to remove no more than 1 centimeter of metal in one pass. For thicker sheets, several cutting cycles are used. Plus, increased arc power requires an additional stabilizer.
Thick workpieces are cut with a powerful and directional arc. A powerful current source is used, which means that the supply network for such machines must meet the requirements for load and its stability. Otherwise, you can forget about a quality seam. At the edges, molten flows, scales will immediately appear, the geometry of the resulting sheet will be disrupted.
Type of mixes for cutting
The main consumables for plasmoresis are a combustible substance for creating an arc. Depending on the type of workpiece to be processed, choose the appropriate type of mixtures:
- Argon, nitrogen and hydrogen always try to add constituents when processing materials from aluminum and its alloys.
- Copper is cut exclusively with hydrogen mixtures.
- Brass and its compositions should be cut with nitrogen and hydrogen.
According to customer reviews, with proper use of the machine, plasma cutting consumables change according to established regulations. But if the modes are deviated from those established by the manufacturer, then there will be an overspending of the material and excessive heating of the equipment. Accordingly, it makes sense to buy a more powerful unit only when planning future modernization of production and the transition to larger batches of products.
Some models
A huge number of plasma cutters are presented on the market. Here are just a few of the most popular ones:
- PlasmaCut - Unimash company occupies the first lines in sales ratings for more than seven years. The presented range has models from weak to powerful industrial versions of machine tools. The automatic cutting cycle is constantly monitored by the FOCUT arc height tracking system.
- AMN products are widely distributed in Asia and Europe. It produces a line of Powermax, PlasmaBox, PS2500, PB6000, PM3000 machines.
The advantage of plasma cutting is that there is no need to change the cutting tool when using workpieces made of harder alloys. One beam will effectively cut any material. The popular model of plasma cutter with plasma Hypertherm MAXPRO 200. This is the latest development in the field of non-contact cutting of metals. It allows you to cut a meter of metal with a thickness of 30 mm in 1 minute at a current load of 200 A.