When you hear the word, "plasma," what do you think of? Either you think of the liquid part of blood, or you think of plasma-screen TVs. You definitely do not think of CNC (computer numerical control) cutting machines, unless, of course, you are a machinist. Here is how this type of plasma plays a role in industrial cutting machines.
Plasma in Industrial Cutting
The plasma in industrial cutting is a completely different plasma from that used in TV screens and is definitely a far cry from blood plasma. This type of plasma is the same kind created in a welder's plasma torch. Water enters two ports on the end of the plasma torch and meets and mixes with the ignited gas of choice before slicing through anything in front of or underneath the torch end. The result is a perfect cut of any material without burning it with the torch's flame because the water cools the flame just enough and just prior to the flame hitting the material to be cut.
Plasma CNC Cutting Machines
CNC plasma cutting machines are machines that are equipped with plasma torches. The CNC panel tells the torch how to cut, what material is being cut, how deep to cut it, and how to quickly to cut the material. All the machinist has to do is program the machine and insert the sheet of material for cutting. It removes all possible injuries associated with "manual" use of a welder's plasma torch and provides a hands-free, hands-off approach to cutting really thick or really-hard-to-cut materials.
Gases commonly used for "plasma" include nitrogen, oxygen, argon, hydrogen, and helium, all of which quickly ignite. They are paired with specific metal anodes, metal parts in the tips of the plasma wand. The flame itself is not much longer than an inch or two, depending on the pre-programmed depth of the material.
Hole-Boring Is Less Precise, but Cutting Is on Par with Lasers
When compared to another type of CNC machine, such as the laser variety, the plasma machines deliver equally good cutting results. The only downfall of the plasma cutter, really, is the fact that it does not deliver as neat and as precise of a bored hole as a laser machine does. Other than that, the plasma machines are an excellent choice if you need an upgrade from the much, much older CNC machines that are in your factory.
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