In the field of cutting, plasma cutting, especially fine plasma cutting, has been applied in many industrial fields. However, with the development of fiber laser technology, laser cutting machines have also begun to be favored by some users in recent years. So how is plasma cutting different than laser cutting? The pros and cons of each?
The main difference between laser cutting and plasma cutting is the difference in cutting thickness, and of course the difference in cutting operating costs. The advantage of plasma cutting is that it can cut thick plates, and the price is low, but the price of cutting is rough. The surface of laser cutting is smooth, the cutting precision is high, and the price is more expensive than plasma cutting. The disadvantage of plasma cutting is that the cutting gap is large, about 3MM. The most important part of the plasma is the power supply. In fact, compared to the laser of the laser cutting machine, the power consumption of the plasma is very large.
Plasma cutting machine is a kind of thermal cutting equipment, the main working principle is compressed air as the main body, high temperature and high speed plasma arc as the heat source, the metal to be cut is partially melted, and the melted metal is blown away by high speed airflow at the same time, Create narrow slits. The plasma cutting machine can cut various metal materials such as stainless steel, iron, aluminum, copper, etc., and the cutting speed is fast, the slit is narrow, and the incision is smooth. Plasma cutting machines are generally used in the construction, installation and maintenance of machinery and metal structures.
The laser cutting machine uses a high-power and high-density laser beam to scan the surface of the material, and can heat the material to thousands or even tens of thousands of degrees Celsius in a short period of time to melt or vaporize the material, and then use high-pressure gas to melt or Other matter is blown away from the kerf. Laser cutting uses invisible light beams instead of traditional mechanical knives. Laser cutting speed is fast and the incision is smooth. Generally, post-processing is not required. Cutting is less affected by heat and the deformation of the plate is small.
The difference in cutting precision, the cutting precision of plasma can reach within 1mm, while the precision of laser cutting can reach within 0.22mm. In terms of cost, plasma cutting machines are cheaper than laser cutting machines. In terms of processing accuracy, plasma cutting is equivalent to rough processing, and laser cutting is equivalent to fine processing.
Compared with general cutting methods, laser cutting machines have some significant advantages:
1. The laser cutting kerf is small, and the cutting surface can be directly used for welding without grinding.
2. The laser cutting machine is fast, and the speed can reach 10m/min when cutting thin plates, which is much faster than the plasma cutting machine.
3. The laser cutting machine has good cutting quality, small deformation, low surface roughness and small bevel.
4. The laser cutting machine has high precision, the positioning accuracy can reach 0.05mm, and the repeatability can reach 0.02mm.
5. The laser cutting machine can cut a wide range of materials. In addition to cutting metal, it can also cut various materials such as wood, plastic, rubber, PVC, leather, textiles and plexiglass, and has a wide range of applications.
Laser cutting machines also have their disadvantages:
The cost of laser cutting is high, and the initial investment and later maintenance require higher costs. At present, laser cutting is more cost-effective in cutting thin plates, but the efficiency is low in cutting medium and thick plates. Unless the quality requirements are high, laser cutting is not suitable for cutting.
What are the advantages of plasma cutting?
In the process of cutting medium and thick plates, it can achieve a very high cutting speed, which is much higher than that of laser and flame. The initial equipment investment is lower than that of laser, and the later maintenance cost will be lower than that of laser.
The disadvantages of plasma cutting are:
1. The verticality of the cutting surface is poor: there will be a large bevel on one side of the cutting surface, and the verticality is poor.
2. A lot of cutting slag is produced. In order not to affect the quality of the subsequent process, this cutting slag must be removed by grinding, which also increases labor costs.
3. Harmful gas and arc light will be generated. The principle of plasma cutting determines that harmful dust and arc light will be generated during the cutting process. However, underwater plasma cutting has also been used to avoid this defect.
4. The consumption of cutting nozzles in the later stage will be more, and the cutting nozzles are mainly imported at present, and the cost is relatively high.
The above are the differences and advantages and disadvantages of plasma cutting and laser cutting. We also hope that the majority of users can choose the appropriate processing method according to their needs and actual conditions.