Plasma Cutting

Plasma cutting is a cutting method that cuts metals with a plasma beam.

Plasma cutting machines lets a gas, normally argon, nitrogen or oxygen, flow through a narrow channel in the nozzle. In that channel, there is an electrod. To start to the plasma cutting process, the nozzle touches the workpiece which creates a circuit, which in turn creates a spark that heats the gas until it reaches a state called plasma. The plasma beam has a very high temperature, sometime above 20 000 degrees celsius and it almost travels at the speed of sound.

Modern machines for plasma cutting are often computer controlled, and these can start their plasma beam in other ways than described above. The plasma cutting technology has developed quickly during recent years, primarily resulting in a much thinner plasma beam, sometimes called plasma arc. At the same time, laser cutting is becoming increasingly popular for cutting thin materials such as sheet metal.

Picture: Irvon Press & Shear Ltd