bobh
10-13-2003, 02:34 PM
I have an application that would lend itself to a plasma cutter, I think.
We cut galvanized steel, ranging from 20 to 10 ga.
Presently we shear and punch parts from a 4x12 sheet. (average size of the part is about 12"x6" with various cut-outs and holes)If I could use the plasma to cut these parts out, it would save a lot of time.
The material we get is normally dry, as we apply tape to the parts in a secondary operation. There are some times, however, that the material has a thin coating of some sort of oil.
Here are the questions:
The parts are not precision, +/- .015 is sufficient. However, the quality of cut is important; I cannot have any slag or dross that would require another cleaning operation. Can plasma deliver this?
Will the plasma "melt" the plating very far from the cut area?
What about the fumes? I know that welding galvanized creates toxic fumes, I assume plasma creates the same. Is an underneath fume extractor with the proper filter media sufficient to keep everyone healthy and satisfy OSHA?
Presently we use AutoCad exclusively. Could I export files from AutoCad into the Shop Bot?
If anyone has had any experience using a similar setup, I would really appreciate any feedback I can get to help me decide if this setup will work for me.
We cut galvanized steel, ranging from 20 to 10 ga.
Presently we shear and punch parts from a 4x12 sheet. (average size of the part is about 12"x6" with various cut-outs and holes)If I could use the plasma to cut these parts out, it would save a lot of time.
The material we get is normally dry, as we apply tape to the parts in a secondary operation. There are some times, however, that the material has a thin coating of some sort of oil.
Here are the questions:
The parts are not precision, +/- .015 is sufficient. However, the quality of cut is important; I cannot have any slag or dross that would require another cleaning operation. Can plasma deliver this?
Will the plasma "melt" the plating very far from the cut area?
What about the fumes? I know that welding galvanized creates toxic fumes, I assume plasma creates the same. Is an underneath fume extractor with the proper filter media sufficient to keep everyone healthy and satisfy OSHA?
Presently we use AutoCad exclusively. Could I export files from AutoCad into the Shop Bot?
If anyone has had any experience using a similar setup, I would really appreciate any feedback I can get to help me decide if this setup will work for me.