How to Choose A Cutting Equipment for Metal Plate?

If you are from the business field of metal processing, such as Boiler and Pressure Vessel companies, Wind Power and Power Tower manufacturers, Military Machinery and Environmental Protection Equipment, Shipbuilding and Bridge Constructions, Petroleum Engineering and Metallurgical Machinery industries, this is a right article to help you choose the most suitable Cutting Equipment to expand your production facility.

Nowadays, the commonly used cutting equipment on the market includes portable CNC cutting machines, table-type CNC cutting machines and gantry CNC cutting machines (CNC plasma cutting machines, CNC flame cutting machines).

Now, let's talk about cutting equipment in detail.

1. Portable CNC Cutting Machine

If we say the machine has a numerical control system, which refers to a computer-controlled type such as importing CAD. The finished cutting piece can reach good mold and uniform effect. Most of the portable cutting machines adopt flame cutting techniques, which can cut 5-150mm thick sheets, carry 1.5mx3m sheets and also cut a variety of pipes. Its cutting speed is 0.5m per minute, dependent on the thickness of the sheet.

2. Table-type CNC Cutting Machine

The desktop CNC cutting machine is also computer-controlled, which can import CAD drawings. It has good forming effects and can cut various shapes. The largest plate cutting size of the machine is 3Mx1.5M and it can cut 200mm thick plate. Compared with portable CNC cutting machines, its advantage is to cut larger steel plates.

3. Gantry CNC Cutting Machine

This cutting machine has its own track, shaped as Gantry. The track can be used to lengthen and widen the cutting stroke. The maximum effective cutting width is up to your request and the cutting length is infinitely extended by extending the track. Three cutting torches can work at the same time, achieving three times’ efficiency of the desktop.

4. Plasma Cutting Machine

The plasma cutting machine is mainly based on the flame cutting machine to install a plasma power supply to achieve plasma cutting. The main effect is that the cutting speed is fast, especially in cutting ordinary carbon steel speed can reach 5 to 6 times that of the oxygen cutting method. The cutting surface is smooth, the thermal deformation is small and there is almost no heat-affected zone and the slope error is less than 0.5-1mm. It’s important to choose a reliable CNC plasma cutting machine manufacturer to guarantee cutting quality and safety.

Advantages and disadvantages of flame cutting and plasma cutting:

1. Cutting thickness: 

Flame cutting normally can cut 200mm thick plates but deformation will occur when cutting plates below 10mm. Plasma cutting can cut 0-20mm. The cutting edges are neat and there is no obvious cutting trace.

2. Cost of work:

Flame cutting is mostly used for thick steel plate cutting and the cut has no V-shaped groove.

Cost: One bottle of acetylene every 8 hours; one bottle of oxygen every 2 hours; 78 yuan/bottle for acetylene; 16 yuan/bottle for oxygen.

8-hour work cost: 78 yuan * 1 bottle + 16 yuan * 4 bottles = 142 yuan

Plasma cutting speed is fast and only occurs small deformation.

Take a 6KW power source as an example, cutting board below 20mm, the cost is 6KW per hour, 48KW per shift, at 1.00 yuan/degree and the electricity fee is 48 yuan. The electrode and nozzle are about 15 yuan (made in China) and can work for about 3 hours.

8-hour working cost: 48KW * 1 yuan / KW + 15 yuan * 2.6 = 48 yuan + 39 yuan = 87 yuan.

The above prices are based on Chinese electricity and gas charges as examples. For more details or cost calculations, please feel free to contact us.

The CNC flame cutting machine has a small investment in the early stage and a large cost in the later stage. The CNC plasma cutting machine price is different because of the plasma power source purchased in the early stage. But its overall investment is dependent on your workpieces.

Be attention, we are required offering you a professional technical discussion before ordering. We will then provide OEM customization based on the material, length, the width and the thickness of the working pieces as well as the available space in your factory, which helps you select the most appropriate type.