Very often there is a need to cut pieces of large sheets of metal, chipping pieces from them, cutting down grooves and channels, removing a hard crust, etc. To perform all these procedures, different methods are used.
How to chop metal at home
Home cutting of metal is carried out with a vise, hammer and chisel. The last instrument consists of three parts - percussion, medium and working. The working part is made in the form of a wedge, the master holds the middle tool, the shock part has a rounded end and tapers up.
For the production of chisels,
carbon steel is used. Before cutting, risks are applied to the workpiece at the site of the future cut. Then the sheet is inserted in a vice so that the risks are visible. The first blow is applied horizontally with a chisel, all subsequent ones - at an angle of 25-30 degrees. Felling sheet metal is a rather complicated and laborious procedure, therefore the method described above is suitable only for processing small batches of material. On an industrial scale, more advanced automated methods are used.
Chopping large batches of metal
Often in small workshops, and sometimes in enterprises, a pneumatic hammer is used to cut metal sheets. The worker holds it with both hands, guiding the chisel exactly along the intended cutting line. Metal cutting in this way is less labor intensive and is faster than manual. The pneumatic hammer can operate either from a conventional network or from a compressor.
Guillotine sheet metal cutting
In large enterprises, if there is a need for processing very large batches of metal, a special tool is used that significantly reduces the operation time, often making this process fully automated.
This is the guillotine. Guillotine cutting of metal is carried out immediately along the entire length of the sheet. Before starting work, the metal workpiece is fixed on the horizontal support of the device using a beam. Then, a guillotine knife is pointed at the cutting site. The sheet is chopped with a single movement of the knife. In this case, the cut is very smooth.
Advantages and disadvantages of the guillotine method
Chopping metal with a guillotine has a lot of advantages, such as:
- high speed of work;
- precision slicing;
- high quality (the seam does not require further processing);
- profitability (metal losses are minimal).
However, this method has some disadvantages:
- the size of the workpiece is limited;
- steel with a high content of silicon, titanium and chromium cannot be cut in this way;
- relatively high cost of cutting;
- narrow range of metal thickness;
- limitations of work in terms of temperature conditions (the indicator depends on the technical characteristics of a particular guillotine model).
In addition to electric guillotines, manual ones are often used in enterprises. Their convenience lies primarily in the fact that you can use such tools in any conditions, even where there is no electricity.
Metal cutting is a very complex process that requires attention and accuracy. When using modern devices designed for this purpose, it is possible to significantly reduce labor costs, speed up the processing process and make the result better.