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I am going to build plasma cutting machine for cutting 3mm thick steel with hardness of 33-35 Rockwell . The main concerned now is the quality of dross, very appreciated if anybody got experience regarding what is normal dross with Plasma cutter? Any particular brand is better than others?
Thanks
Since dross is the resolidified metal that clings to the bottom of the plate from plasma/oxyfuel/laser cutting applications I suspect that you mean (in your post) that you want no dross or minimal dross.
Dross formation from plasma cutting is a function of:
1. Torch and plasma system design. Not all models and makes are equivalent. There are also different processes such as air plasma, oxygen plasma, nitrogen and argon/hydrogen plasma's as well as high definition plasma systems that produce different results dpending on the use and application.
2. Choice of consumables and power level will determine cut quality as well for a particular material and thickeness. The major plasma brands offer systems with multiple consumable choices (such as FineCut for thin materials, 45 amp, 65 amp, 85 amp and 100 amp consumables for thicker or faster cutting) while some of the lower cost plasma systems rely on 1 set of consumables for all thicknesses....resulting in poorer cut quality.
3. Motion control, cut speed and torch to work distance are all critical to control cut quality and dross formation. Major plasma manufacturers provide detailed cut parameter charts that outline the best practices and settings for best cut quality on a given material and thickness.
If you provide a little more detail about what you need to cut, is it a hand held or mechanized application.....and is there a price limit...and we'd be happy to offer better advice!
Jim Colt Hypertherm
Quote:
Originally Posted by yeye
Thanks for your reply Jim.
What we are trying to design is a mechanised application for only one product. The material is medium carbon steel Rc35 and 3mm thick. The process is to cut out 55mm x 3mm flat bar, a 30mm square starting on one edge and repeating this every 60mm. For a length of 4m. That is there would be approx 66 square to cut out of 4m.The end result would look like someone with every second tooth missing.
It is essential that there be little or no dross as the finished bar has to fit into a slotted jig which is 3mm wide.
If there is too much dross we would need to clear it up. The time taken to do this would seriously impact on the cost, as we would be cutting 100’s meters.
Cost has to be considered, main issue is having the least possible dross .
Also the mechanised application needs to have an accuracy of +-0.3mm, Is this achievable ?
You can cut .3mm dross free pretty easily with the right plasma system....however I am a little confused about the part you describe. If you have a drawing (.dxf) or pictures or something that I can look at I can make a better determination if what you plan to do is feasible with plasma. Info on the type of tolerances you need to hold will help as well. You can send a .dxf file direct if you want.
Jim Colt Hypertherm [email protected]
Quote:
Originally Posted by yeye