In this technical article written by Steve Liebold and John Peters, Hypertherm Mechanized Plasma Engineers; and Jesse Tyler, Hypertherm Marketing, they write:
As readers of Stainless Steel World Americas no doubt know, stainless steel usage around the globe is increasing steadily. The International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) reports usage has grown more than 50 percent during the past five years, and as usage increases, so too does the need to cut stainless steel. There are many ways of doing this obviously. Companies may use band saws, waterjet, laser or sheers. However, the most effective cutting method by far, from a productivity standpoint, is plasma.
Plasma, with its thermal energy and high velocity gas to melt and remove material from the cut surface, offers faster cut speeds when compared to band saws and waterjet systems, thicker cutting capability than lasers and the flexibility to quickly switch from severing 6-1/4 stainless to cutting fine features in thin stainless, aluminum and mild steel. Still the use of plasma wasnt without drawbacks, namely sub-optimal cut quality when compared to some others methods. Fortunately, that is changing thanks to recent technological advances, which have drastically improved cutting outcomes when using plasma.
To read this full article in PDF format please contact Candace Allison at c.allison@kci-world.com.
Image courtesy of Hypertherm