Oxygen cutting machines
Oxygen cutting is the oldest method of cutting steel. It is one of the gas methods of thermal cutting of metals. The process is based on heating the metal to its combustion temperature and then removing the molten metal from the fracture by a high-pressure gas stream. The oxygen cutting machine requires the installation of dedicated torches that simultaneously mix the combustible gas with the oxygen and deliver a stream of cutting oxygen to the cutting area.
How to choose oxygen cutting machine?
The oxygen cutting process is divided into two stages. The first one involves heating the sheet metal to the combustion temperature by a heating flame, i.e. gas (most often it is propane, propylene, acetylene, or natural gas). When the correct temperature is reached, cutting oxygen is supplied. It oxidizes the workpiece and blows it out of the cut under high pressure. Oxygen cutting machines are perfect for processing sheets of large thickness. The thicker the sheet, the more pressurized oxygen is delivered. Gas cutting is not recommended for working with aluminum and alloy steels that contain a high content of elements resistant to oxidation, i.e. stainless steels.
Oxygen cutting machine applications
CNC oxygen cutting machine is a perfect tool for cutting and processing thick sheets from 25 mm to even 300 mm. Often it is cutting low-carbon and low-alloy structural steels. Gas cutting enables the processing of sheet metal in bundles as well as corroded and painted details. One of its advantages is the fact that it can cut thick sheets and other steel products at different angles.
Modern solutions allow the application of more than two oxygen torches on the portal, which significantly optimizes the cutting process. It is quite an innovative method, the so-called multitorch. In addition, the development of technology has allowed manufacturers to maximize the automation of the oxygen cutting process. In the most advanced mechanical parks, it is enough to run the program on the cutting machine and there is no need to supervise its work process. It is a perfect solution that allows you to save time and extend the possibilities of the operator. Most often, gas cutting machines are used in the industrial sector, in plants that deal with the processing of large steel elements. It is one of the most economical methods of heat treatment, which allows cutting a wide spectrum of material thicknesses.