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CNC Plasma Cutting

What is Plasma Cutting?

Plasma cutting is a process that is widely used in order to cut electrically conductive materials such as carbon steels, stainless steels and various series of aluminum. Plasma, otherwise known as "the fourth state of matter", is created through the combination of a compressed gas and an electrical arc. For conventional plasma cutting, compressed air is forced through a concentrated nozzle. This air then becomes partially ionized by an electrical arc in order to form a column of plasma. During cutting, the enormous amount of heat and pressure generated by plasma displaces the material away in turn creating a clean cut edge.

CNC Plasma Cutting WNY

Plasma Cutting Benefits

  • CNC Plasma cutting is capable of effectively cutting thin gauge all the way up to multiple inch thick materials

  • Plasma cutting can also be performed on any conductive material; the most popular conductive materials include plain carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum

  • For thicker materials, over 3/8" thickness, Plasma will be one of the fastest and most cost effective options on the market

  • If the extreme precision of a fiber laser is not required, Plasma can provide adequate tolerances at an affordable cost

CNC Plasma Cutting Guidelines

Accepted File Formats

  • .dxf (Preferred)

  • .ai

  • .dwg

  • .prt

  • .sldprt

  • .stp

Additional File Formats

The following file formats will require additional processing in order to convert them to formats that can be cut

  • .jpg

  • .png

File Requirements

  • All shapes and letters should be properly bridged to ensure no parts of your design are lost

CNC Plasma Design

Text that is not Bridged

CNC Plasma Bridge Letters

Text that is Bridged

CNC Plasma Incorrect Design

Resulting Cut Part

CNC Plasma Cut Part

Resulting Cut Part

  • All files should be in the 1:1 scale and in Imperial Units (inches)

  • All geometry should be at least 1:1 material thickness

  • Ensure there are no open contours in the file, this will cause the Plasma Torch to abruptly stop its cut path

Hole Quality

A rule of thumb is to keep all holes 1.5 x Thickness but for the best hole quality, a 2 x Thickness ratio is suggested

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Example:

For .250" Thick Material, the smallest hole size will be .375"

For .250" Thick Material, the best hole quality will start at a hole size of .500"

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The smallest hole achievable with Plasma is .250”. This is due to the dragging arc that Plasma creates. 

 

 

For Materials .188" and up, .250" or smaller holes are not recommended

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CNC Plasma Holes

Edge Bevel

A 1 to 5 Degree Taper or Bevel can be expected on every cut edge of the part

CNC Plasma Bevel

This Bevel results in the bottom of holes measuring slightly smaller than the top of the hole

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Example:

.250” Material, on average, will be .013” smaller than the top on each side of the cut

For a .50” hole this would result in the bottom measuring .474”

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.500” Material, on average, will be .026” smaller than the top on each side of the cut

For a 1” hole this would result in the bottom measuring .948”

Plasma Cutting Tolerances

CNC Plasma Tolerances

Turnaround Time

For in stock materials, we are able to offer a 1 day rush turnaround for an extra fee.

We can also process orders over the weekend for when you need parts in a hurry.

Typical Turnaround Time for standard orders is 3-5 days.

Delivery

We currently only provide CNC Plasma Cutting services to the local Buffalo/WNY area. For customers in this region, parts can either be picked up or delivered for an extra fee.

For customers outside of this region, please contact us.

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