Plasma cutting of steel plates

Plasma cutting uses a high-temperature plasma arc to melt the metal and a high-speed gas stream to blow away the molten material, making it suitable for cutting carbon steel, stainless steel, and other materials with thicknesses of 3-40mm. During cutting, the torch must be held perpendicular to the steel plate and moved at a constant speed. Whether the cut is complete can be determined by observing if the molten metal falls vertically. Compared to flame cutting, plasma cutting is faster (up to 10m/min or more) and produces a smoother cut, but the cost of cutting plates thicker than 20mm is higher.

During operation, safety glasses and gloves must be worn, and the steel plate surface must be clean and free of oil. Parameters need to be adjusted for different thicknesses: high power and high speed for thin plates (≤3mm), and for thick plates (>40mm), flame cutting is recommended.