Installation and finishing work is often accompanied by additional operations related to the preparation of certain materials. And if plastic with wood, for example, can be easily corrected with ordinary carpenter tools in a couple of minutes, metal billets require much more effort due to the rigidity of the structure. Of course, to work with a profile and sheet products it is not necessary to turn to professional equipment. But you should initially understand the nuances of using a specific tool for cutting metal, so that the result is a workpiece that meets expectations.
Cold and hot cutting - what are the differences?
At a basic level, two fundamentally different approaches to metal processing should be divided. It is cold and hot cutting. What is the difference? In the case of cold working, the target billet is not subjected to a structural change to facilitate further physical impact on it. As a rule, these are mechanical cutting methods in which a functional organ (tooth, cutter, crown) should be made of a more resistant material than a workpiece. Hot processing methods typically involve thermal exposure of the material to a melting state. What tools are used when cutting metal in this way? In most cases, they use full-format machines with autogenous, but for domestic use, technical means of hot processing are produced. This group includes welding machines, and recently, laser cutting devices have become increasingly available.
Varieties of tools for mechanical cutting
In this category, one can distinguish manual and machine tools designed for cutting metal sheets. Solid workpieces with a thickness of more than 20-25 mm are usually not cut by hand tools. These include scissors and hacksaws for metal. As for the machine tool equipment, it is represented by stationary saws, band processing machines and grinders. Moreover, the cutting operation itself in machine tools is rarely represented in the singular. As a rule, it is basic, but it is also supplemented by the functions of drilling, boring, facing, etc. Despite the obvious superiority of platform powerful units, a manual tool for cutting metal may be required in solving simple and delicate operations. For example, if away from the outlet on the construction site, you will need to carefully trim the edge of the metal sheet. To use for this task a large-sized saw on a bed is impractical.
Classification of scissors for metal
This tool is also different. The simplest designs allow cutting thin sheet metal using manual force. Unlike conventional scissors, their cutting parts are made of high-strength tool steel. The handles, in turn, have plastic pads with a ribbed surface for a more tenacious grip. For more critical operations, an electric tool for cutting metal with a power drive is used. The scissor mechanism is represented by a nozzle with a small rotating roller. It is powered by an engine with an output of up to 500 W on average. The advantages of this tool include not only high performance, but also accuracy. The operator can cut sheets with a thickness of the order of 1.5 mm, leaving smooth edges.
Hacksaw metal cutting
A classic saw with a thin and narrow blade still remains relevant. Against the background of a powerful electric tool, such a hacksaw wins with a low price tag, simple design and the possibility of obtaining a neat cut. In modern models for the web, hardened or tool steel is used, which allows cutting pipes, pieces of reinforcement and profile workpieces. Moreover, most hacksaws have unified mechanisms for fixing the file, so it remains possible to use different sizes of blades with an orientation on the characteristics of the working material. The basis of this metal cutting tool must be selected based on its functionality. Consideration should be given to the tension force and the setting range along the length.
Features of plasma cutting
Processing of this type is carried out by special models of welding machines. As the target material, various metals are used from soft aluminum to titanium and carbon alloys. But it is recommended to use this method only if there are at least basic welding skills. The plasma torch is an electric tool for cutting metal, in which current plays an important role. In the course of preparation, its potential per 1 mm of the workpiece is calculated. Moreover, for different types of metal, this value will be different. So, steel and cast iron are cut at 4 A, and non-ferrous alloys are recommended to be processed with a setting of 6 A.
Especially newcomers need to think through security issues during the work process. Protection is provided not only from electric current, but also from temperature exposure with ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, it is recommended to work with this tool for metal cutting in special equipment, supplemented by a welder shield. Legs should also have appropriate pants with shoes in case of careless handling of the melt.
Tape Cutting Machines
Powerful machine tool equipment is used to process metal workpieces of increased hardness . A band saw in this class is one of the most effective solutions, since the teeth of the saw blades outperform even the Bulgarian discs in terms of strength. Also, the equipment design allows you to cope with large workpieces with a thickness of more than 100 mm. For example, a rod with a diameter of 100 mm will be processed by an average productivity machine at a speed of 50-70 cm 2 / min. It is advantageous to cut metal with a mechanized tool of this type and in terms of saving the target material. The tape thickness is only 1.3 mm on average, so chip consumption will be small. If we compare the savings in waste with manual cutting methods, the difference will reach 3-4 times.
Waterjet cutting
This is a high-tech equipment, which is mainly used in large metal processing enterprises. Features of waterjet machines are the principle of operation. Cutting is carried out not by mechanical elements, and not by heat, but by a mixture of abrasive and water. Through a special nozzle, a jet under high pressure is supplied to the target area. As the channel approaches the surface of the workpiece, a feed line of microparticles of sand and metal is connected to it. As a result, the direction of the waterjet jet carries out cutting with a high degree of accuracy. The size of the particles themselves can be several microns, and the thickness of the workpiece reaches 200 mm. By the way, hand tools used in metal cutting are oriented mainly to sheet metal. And even increasing the power with a change in the design of the equipment in order to receive large workpieces does not at all guarantee the quality of cutting. In turn, CNC waterjet machines implement the operation under the control of software equipment with the complex task of cutting parameters.
Conclusion
Choosing the right metal processing method depends on your specific goals. In some cases, it will be important to speed cutting the material in large volumes and without high quality requirements. For such tasks use mechanical machines with a suitable design for the workpiece format. Hand tools for cutting sheet metal are often used in domestic conditions. Thus, blanks for roofing, cladding of farm buildings, etc. can be prepared. The most technologically and functionally advanced units demonstrate fundamentally different approaches to solving such problems. This is primarily hydroabrasive and plasma equipment, combining qualities such as high productivity, accuracy and economy.