Page 26 - Metalforming Magazine April 2022

FABRICATION
What
CUTTING
METHOD
Should I Choose?
Flame, plasma, fiber laser and waterjet cutting machines all offer advantages, and each have drawbacks. Consider your requirements and practical needs when deciding on a cutting system. Then, consider the process characteristics discussed here.
Metal-processing applications er speed and precision to cut thin integrated complete sets of process
sheets than flame or waterjet, which directly impacts equipment cost. When assessing the cutting cost per unit length or per part, note that this includes costs for gas, nozzles and electrodes, as well as for electricity and water. Sometimes, equipment- acquisition costs and labor costs (e.g., loading and unloading) are shared. Therefore, it’s important to consider the scope of comparisons.
• Ease of Use. This requirement pri- marily relates to software, especially CNC and CAM software. By integrating professional experience, learning times can be reduced. In some cases, equip- ment manufacturers integrate features that substitute for experience. For example, some machine providers have
often present the dilemma of
selecting the best metal cut- ting machine, with each of the main metal-cutting processes having their own characteristics in terms of cutting thickness and accuracy. Here we pro- vide a summary of these characteristics to enable the best metal-cutting option for your application.
Before discussing the technology and capabilities of each procedure, let’s first identify the most pressing issues for metal formers and fabricators surround- ing cutting technology in general.
• Equipment purchase and use cost. Each cutting method requires different CNC, dust-removal equipment and CAD/CAM software. Also, consider that a laser cutting machine provides high-
parameters directly into the CNC and nesting software, which allows new users to quickly master them while maintaining the same cut quality as more experienced personnel. Although not simple to quantify, this consider- ation should not be overlooked.
• Productivity. Speed often repre- sents the deciding factor in determin- ing output capacity.
• Precision of cut parts. Many meth- ods are available to determine the accuracy of a part made from metal. Inner holes typically require higher tol- erances than outer contours, with many cutting-machine suppliers offer- ing ways to cut better-quality holes. Users often measure the top surface to determine part dimensions, but keep
24 MetalForming/April 2022
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