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FAQs
Below you’ll find some frequently asked questions for our Products & services.
If you have a particular question that isn’t answered here get in touch today.
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Plasma Cutting
Plasma Cutters work by sending an electric arc through gas that is passing through a constricted opening. The gas can have a number of different types including shop air, nitrogen, argon, or oxygen. This high-speed gas is able to cut through the molten metal and is also directed around the perimeter of the cutting area to shield the cut.
The amount we charge for our CNC Plasma Cutting services is dependant on the size, thickness, complexity and quantity of the part. For further information on this use the contact form to get in touch
There are a few things you need to consider when it comes to improving the quality of your plasma cut. For example, making sure the arc is cutting in the correct direction as well as making sure the correct process is selected for the material and thickness being cut. Consideration is also required for the life of the consumables that make up the cutting head. Once one of the parts start to wear or deteriorate this will have a huge impact on the quality of the cut.
The particular gas used for the process depends on the material being used. For example, oxygen is used for cutting mild steel, argon hydrogen for stainless steel and aluminium. For plasma marking argon is the only is the preferred gas.
Plasma cutting was invented in the mid-1950s and eventually in the 1980’s emerged as one the most productive ways to cut sheet metal.
The thickest material that can be plasma cut is 60mm.
The largest sheet size that we can Plasma Cut is 15,580mm x 5000mm in size.
Flame Cutting
Flame cutting is a type of oxygen cutting for steel parts in which the appropriate part of the material to be cut is raised to ignition temperature by an oxy-fuel gas flame.
The flame cutting process works by mixing liquid oxygen & propane and raising it to a high enough temperature for it to cut through steel. As the steel starts to melt at 1450°C – 1500°C the central cutting stream of high-pressure oxygen is concentrated into the molten pool changing the ferrous steel into ferrous oxide. At 400°C the flame flows away as sparks so the torch is inched away slightly preventing the ferrous oxide sparks from entering the holes in the nozzle potentially causing a blowback. A smooth accurate movement of the torch by the electric motors creates a smooth cut on the plate.
Flame cutting is primarily used for the separating and shaping of steel components, it can cut various bespoke shapes from large sheets of steel with thicknesses ranging from 5mm to 1000mm. The process is carried out through the use of a flame cutting machine.
A blue flame is used for the cutting process, the flame is created through a mixture of lit propane and heated to oxygen.
To put it simply, it is a computer-controlled flame cutting machine. It works by the user programming a particular shape and the machine then following the contours to cut the parts.
The thickest material that we can flame cut is 300mm.
We can flame cut sheets of up to 10,000mm x 5,000mm in size.
Bevelling & Chamfering
The phrases bevel and chamfer refer to the edge of a structure that is not perpendicular to the faces of the piece.
The main difference between the two is that a bevel is an edge that is sloped while a chamfer is an edge that connects two surfaces at a 45-degree angle, a bevel can be any angle except for 45 or 90 degrees.
A bevelling machine is used to prepare materials for welding by adding bevel edges. To do this it cuts slope at an angle along a flat piece of steel. Materials that are most commonly used in the bevelling process include Steel.
The bevelling process is carried out for joints in preparation to weld two structures together and also for cosmetic effect to take sharpness from a 90 degree cut edge.
There is a number of ways to bevel mild steel plate, for example you can use a CNC milling machine, oxy-fuel cut or a portable milling machine.
A chamfering machine is used to apply chamfers and weld preps to the edge of steel parts. It does so by either angling the cutting head and taking a cut across the edge or angling the plate and making a pass across it.
Firstly, you decide which cutter head you are using based on the required angle of the chamfer. Then you clock the edge of the material to get your zero coordinates before you programme in how far in and back you require the cutter to go and how many passes to get to the required chamfer size.
Gemini Machine
When it comes to Plasma Cutting the Gemini Machine can cut materials of up to 50mm thick. However, when it comes to Flame Cutting it can cut materials of up to 90mm thick.
The largest sheet size that can be cut on a Gemini Machine is 15,580x5000mm in size.
CNC Machining
CNC machining to put it simply, is a process that includes machining parts to right tolerances.
CNC Machinery is used for a number of types of processes with different types of material. Different processes include milling, drilling, tapping and reaming.
The largest blank we can put on our CNC machining centres is 1270x500x635mm in size.
Deburring
Deburring is the process of creating smooth edges on steel or other materials by removing sharp edges or burrs.
A Deburring machine cleans and deburs the dross generates from steel to give a clean edge. It is a belt driven conveyor system, you load the parts at one end of the conveyor belt which then gets pulled through the rotating linisher which is similar to a big sanding wheel through to other end where they are finished and packed.