With the advancement of sheet metal processing technology, China's manufacturing technology is also evolving, and the gap with foreign developed countries is narrowing.
Many renowned foreign companies are moving their production bases to China and bringing with them innovative ideas in sheet metal processing.
Traditional sheet metal cutting equipment includes numerical and non-numerical control shears, presses, flame cutting, plasma cutting, and high-pressure water cutting.
These devices have a significant market share and are known for their affordable price.
Although they have some disadvantages compared to modern laser cutting technology, they also have their own unique advantages.
After reading the following descriptions of different sheet metal cutters, you will be able to determine which metal cutting equipment is best for your needs before learning how to cut sheet metal.
Garden shears
Numerical control (NC) shears are primarily designed for straight line cutting and can cut sheets up to 4 meters long. However, they are limited to cutting in straight lines only and are suitable for industrial applications that only require straight line cutting after leveling.
Punching machine
CNC/turret punch presses offer greater versatility in machining curves as a punch can be equipped with one or more sets of square, round or other specialized punch dies. They are typically used for specific sheet metal work, particularly in the cabinet industry. The main processing techniques include straight line cutting, square and round hole cutting, and producing relatively simple and fixed patterns. These presses are mainly used on carbon plates with a thickness of less than 2 mm, and the cutting area is normally in the range of 2.5m x 1.25m.
However, the use of punching machines to cut stainless steel sheets with a thickness greater than 1.5 mm is not recommended, as it leads to high mold consumption due to the high viscosity. Additionally, punch presses are limited in their ability to drill through thick steel plates and the resulting surface may be subject to collapse. The high cost and long mold development cycle, as well as low flexibility, are other disadvantages of this method.
In many countries, cutting steel sheets thicker than 2 mm is usually done using modern laser cutting rather than punching machines. This is due to the lower surface quality of punching and shearing thick plates, as well as the need for greater tonnage to punch thicker plates. This is considered a waste of resources and is also not environmentally friendly due to the high noise levels generated by the process.
Flame Cut
As the traditional cutting method, flame cutting still has a large market due to its low investment and low quality requirements (which can be resolved with an additional machining process).
It is mainly used to cut thick steel plates over 40mm thick.
However, its disadvantages include excessive thermal deformation, wide slots, high steel waste and slow processing speed, making it only suitable for rough manufacturing.
Plasma Cutting
Plasma cutting and fine plasma cutting are similar to flame cutting, but have a larger heat affected zone. However, they offer better precision and speed compared to flame cutting, making plasma cutting a dominant force in medium sheet metal processing.
The fine CNC plasma cutting machine has reached the lower limits of laser cutting in terms of precision when cutting 22mm carbon steel sheets. The cutting speed can reach more than 2 meters per minute, resulting in a smooth cutting face, with the best tilt controlled within 1.5 degrees.
However, there are some disadvantages to plasma cutting. Thermal deformation may be excessive when cutting thin sheets and the inclination may be greater. When high precision cutting is required, plasma cutting may not be the best option. Furthermore, the consumables used in plasma cutting are very expensive.
Water cut
High-pressure water cutting is a technique that uses a high-speed jet of water mixed with carborundum to cut sheet metal.
This method has few restrictions on the materials it can cut and can reach a thickness of up to 100 mm.
Not only can it cut easily breakable materials such as ceramics and glass, which pose challenges for thermal cutting, but it can also cut highly reflective materials such as copper and aluminum, which are difficult to cut with a laser. However, laser cutting has its own challenges.
A disadvantage of high pressure water cutting is its slow processing speed and can create a lot of waste and debris, making it not very environmentally friendly. Furthermore, it requires a large number of consumables.
Laser cut
Laser cutting is a game-changer in sheet metal processing, serving as the foundation of sheet metal manufacturing. With its high flexibility, fast cutting speed, efficient production and short production cycle, laser cutting has gained wide popularity among customers.
One of the main advantages of laser cutting is the absence of cutting force and deformation. Furthermore, it does not require tool wear and has good material compatibility.
Whether the parts are simple or complex, laser cutting can produce precise cuts quickly. It offers narrow slots, high quality cuts, high automation, ease of operation, low labor intensity and pollution-free environment.
Laser cutting also allows automatic cutting and grouping, improving material utilization and reducing production costs, resulting in a good economic result.
This technology has a long useful life and is currently used to cut sheets thicker than 2 mm in other countries.
Many foreign experts predict that the next 30 to 40 years will be the golden age of laser processing technology, especially in the field of sheet metal processing.
To complete
It is generally recommended to use laser cutting for carbon steel sheets up to 20 mm thick, stainless steel sheets up to 10 mm thick, and non-metallic materials such as acrylic and planks.
For steel sheets between 20mm and 50mm, plasma cutting is recommended.
Flame cutting is the recommended method for steel sheets over 50 mm.
When processing brittle non-metallic materials such as copper, aluminum, glass and marble, cutting with a water knife is recommended.
In the sheet metal fabrication industry where a single variety is relatively common, such as batch production of cabinets with sheet thicknesses below 1mm, CNC punch machines are recommended and other cutting methods can be used to assist in the sheet metal fabrication process. cut.
