Machinery Articles: Choosing a CNC Cutting Machine
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Choosing a CNC Cutting Machine
To choose the most suitable CNC cutting machine, you need to consider following factors: cutting breadth, structure, cutting mode, and torch height adjusting mode.
Cutting Breadth refers to the effective cutting width and length.
For example, the portable type, when you put our machine onto the plate, you should consider two aspects: (1) size of work piece, you should make sure the machine can cut it one time. (2) width of plate; when the machine is put onto the plate, its effective cutting width should be as long as the plate width, in order to reduce frequent movement of the portable cutting machine.
For other machine types, it is generally the same: cutting breadth of the machine depends on specifications of the plate you want to cut. You should make sure the machine can cut the work piece in one pass; otherwise, it is usually very inconvenient to move the machine time and time again. To increase efficiency, you can put two pieces of plate breadth wise or length ways at the same time.
Structure: for example using a portable, cantilever, gantry & table type, it is easy to move and install, saves space, low cost, but the effective cutting width is limited. The Gantry type, good rigidity, cutting width can be from 3 to 10m, but needs high installation accuracy requirements and special plant area. The table type is an integral structure, with quick and accurate emplacement, but cutting breadth is limited.
Cutting mode: cutting mode can be classified from different aspects:
- Flame cutting, plasma cutting, both flame & plasma cutting
- Flame cutting: Traditional cutting mode, suitable for cutting low-medium carbon steel plate with perfect cutting quality.
- Plasma cutting is suitable for cutting thin carbon steel, stainless steel, and nonferrous metal plate. Thus its cutting speed is faster than flame cutting.
- Dry-type plasma cutting, under water plasma cutting
- CNC & Strip cutting machine (Linear cutting machine)
- CNC Intersection cutting machine (Pipe cutting machine)
- To cut pipes, we have two methods: One is using a CNC Intersection cutting machine; the other is using an Intersection cutting unit, which can be configured onto a Gantry structure CNC cutting machine.
Torch height adjusting mode: no matter if you’re using flame or plasma cutting, you should make sure that the distance between the torch and plate is adjusted properly to get best cutting quality and prolonged life of the cutting nozzle.
Various methods for adjusting the torch height:- Manual adjusting
- Hand wheel through gear to drive rack of the torch to adjust torch height.
- Electric adjusting
- Press button, by adjusting motor to drive torch up and down. Above mode needs operator to adjust the torch height.
- Capacitive height controller for flame cutting
- On one hand, this device can automatically adjust torch height, to keep torch at a constant height; On the other hand, after preheat, when we open high-pressure cutting oxygen, there will be Slag spatter. Thus it is easy to jam cutting nozzle. With this device, before we open high-pressure cutting oxygen, the torch will be mounted in advance. After Slag spatter, torch will descend itself, thus to avoid muzzle jam.
- Arc voltage height controller for plasma cutting
- On one hand, plasma cutting speed is very fast.
