CNC plasma cutting technology is a high-tech integrating CNC technology, computer software and hardware technology, plasma cutting technology, and precision mechanical technology. The development of a CNC plasma cutting machine can completely change the equipment level of the thermal cutting industry. Reverse the current situation of low efficiency, poor quality, high labor intensity, low material utilization, and the dirty environment in the thermal cutting industry. Narrow the gap with developed countries. At the same time, the development of CNC plasma cutting technology can drive related fields and disciplines to reach the international advanced level.
Flame cutting, plasma cutting, and laser cutting are the three main methods of thermal cutting.
Flame cutting has a large amount of cutting deformation and cannot meet the needs of high-precision cutting. Moreover, the cutting speed is low, and preheating is required before cutting, which is difficult to adapt to the needs of automatic operation.
Plasma cutting has a wide cutting range, which can cut all metal plates and many non-metal materials. The maximum cutting speed can reach 10m/min, which is 10 times the flame cutting speed. Cutting underwater can eliminate noise, dust, harmful gases, and arcs generated during cutting, which is beneficial to the protection of the environment. With the maturity of high-power plasma cutting technology, the maximum cutting thickness has reached 130mm. The high-power plasma cutting using water jet technology has brought the cutting quality close to the lower limit of laser cutting (±0.2mm).
Laser cutting machines are expensive and only suitable for thin plate cutting (usually thick plates take a long time to punch holes). The precision of a fine plasma cutting machine can reach the lower limit of laser cutting. The cutting surface quality is not much different, but the cutting cost is much lower than laser cutting. In developed countries, there has been a trend of replacing flame cutting machines and laser cutting machines with CNC plasma cutting machines.
The manufacturers of international CNC plasma cutting machines are mainly concentrated in Germany, the United States, China, and Japan. Its main manufacturers include ESAB and MESSER in Germany, TANAKA and KOIKE in Japan, LTEC and LINDA in the United States, and Huayuan in China. Manufacturers that can represent the highest level of CNC plasma cutting technology are concentrated in Germany. The CNC cutting machine of German ESAB is the world's most comprehensive, most functional, and highest level. It includes almost all non-contact cutting methods of CNC cutting machines. Among them, the NEC520 continuous trajectory controller and RPC600 (single or double parallel) water jet plasma system can cut metal plates below 130mm. NEC520 continuous trajectory controller and HD3070 fine plasma can perform high-speed (7.6m/min) and high-precision (close to the lower limit of laser cutting) cutting of metal materials from 1 to 12mm.
The plasma system of Hypertherm of the United States represents the highest level of plasma system in the world today. Its product specifications cover all plasma systems for thermal cutting, from ordinary plasma, water jet plasma to fine plasma. The output current of an ordinary plasma power supply is 20～400A, and the cutting thickness can reach 80mm. The output current of the water jet plasma power supply can reach up to 1000A, and the cutting thickness can reach 130mm. The output current of the fine plasma power supply can reach up to 200A, and the cutting thickness can reach 20mm. Among them, the width of the fine plasma slit is 0.65~0.75mm, and the cutting accuracy of ±0.2mm can be achieved with the CNC cutting machine.
In the 21st century, the CNC cutting industry is facing various new challenges, and the international market competition is becoming more intense. We should aim at the world's advanced level, continue to develop new products, and promote the general improvement of the technical level of the same industry. At the same time, efforts are being made to strengthen scientific research and development, technological innovation, and quality management.
