Plasma Cutting Stainless Steel Pipe

This is especially true for thicker stainless steel plates where plasma cutting is almost universally considered the best solution.

Plasma cutting stainless steel pipe.

When the board has placed on a steady cutting surface clamp the negative cable to your working area. Plasma arc cutting of austenitic stainless steel alloys produces a haz characterized by a thin layer of resolidified metal adhered to the cut edge. Thinner sheets however only require a tin snip. Precise machine motion controls torch to material distance control and the correct plasma and assist gases all are crucial to producing weld ready plasma cut edges on all stainless steel thicknesses.

Be it standard or cut to size sheet and plate in stainless steel duplex and super duplex stainless steels mild steels and carbon steels aluminium and exotic alloys in thicknesses ranging from 0 5mm up to 100mm. The thickness of the resolidified layer generally is in the 10 to 30 m range less than 0 001 inch. For stainless tubing a circular saw is a perfect tool to use. Precision plasma can pierce and cut stainless steel up to around 40mm and high amperage plasma systems can pierce and cut stainless steel up to around 100mm.

It uses the concentrated beam of energy to cut through a quite thick piece of material without much issue. Cut the stainless steel. Little or no solid state phase transformation is observed in the microstructure. After doing the first two steps you are ready to cut your stainless steel.

Plasma cutter is ideal for cutting the large and hardest stainless steel panels. At plasma cut we offer a range of products and services to meet your unique requirements. The small heat ring in this schedule 40 stainless steel pipe is evidence of the cooling effect the water mist has on the plasma cutting process. With an edge start plasma can cut up to about 160mm.

If you are cutting through thicker sheets an angle grinder power shear or circular saw is the best option. The next consideration for successful stainless steel cutting with plasma is material type. When a plasma process engineered for cutting 304l is applied to another similar austenitic alloy for example 316l dross and a rough cut edge can result. Figure 5 removing huge chunks of slag on cut pipe was a very labor intensive job before the water mist technology was installed.

Photo courtesy of penn stainless products. The stainless steel processor s new plasma cutting machines occupy the same footprint as the company s two 20 year old plasma cutting tables.