Stainless Steel cutting

[weldmen]

Hi
I am working in stainless steel plate cutting industry. We are facing quality problems in cutting operation. Cutting is not perpendicular to the surface of the plate. This is because of lack of straightness of the cutting arc. Can anybody suggest solution this problem?

thanks..

 

[MikeMilburn]

It's been awhile since I've cut any amount of ss plate, I presume you're using plasma, if so I believe it's an inherant problem due to the charastics of the arc. As I said, its been awhile so I hope that somebody can prove me wrong...Mike

 

[weld123]

I don't know how much help this will be but I have run into the same problem with the plasma cutter. The bevel or un-parallel cut on one side(the left side usually) is due to the clockwise swirl of the air or water in water plasma cutting that blows the molten metal out of the way to create the cut. The only solution that I have come up with was to keep the straight cutting side of the torch on the side of material that was to be saved and come back and square cut the beveled side again if needed. I do not know if that is possible in your application. I also recommend keeping the hardware in your torch in as good as shape as possible which would mean replacing the parts frequently. I hope that I was of some help.

 

[weld123]

un-parrallel should have been un-perpindicular....sorry

 

[GRoberts]

Water jet cutting has the same problem, but some of the systems for it compensate by tilting the head in order to produce a straight cut in the side that is going to be used. There may be similar systems out there for plasma, but I wouldn't know who makes one right now.

 

[mcguire]

You really should explore using laser cutting for cleanliness and precision of cut.

 

[kbowers]

I agree with mcguire. I am not sure how thick of plate you are cutting but now laser cutting mfgs are advertising cuts of 1 in and over on stainless. Check out these laser makers, Trumpf and PRC's websites they talk more about it. Especially if you want to weld these together later the HAZ is quit less in laser cutting as well as other second ops.

Kevin