The process of Metal Fabrication Seattle WA begins with cutting a design from a flat sheet or plate of metal. Fabrication projects are usually made with steel and aluminum, but sometimes use titanium, copper, and brass. Four common tools for cutting metal in a metal fabrication shop are water jet cutters, laser cutters, plasma arc cutters, and oxy-fuel cutters.
Water jet cutters use a stream of water at extremely high pressure mixed with an abrasive mineral, often garnet. The speed and force of the water can cut through almost any type of metal in any thickness up to about four inches. The materials used in water jet cutting are non-toxic, and the waste material can be safe to discard if the material being cut is not hazardous. There is minimal risk of injury to the user as long as basic safety precautions are taken. Another advantage of the water jet is that it makes a very fine cut, wasting little metal and yielding a finished edge that is easy to weld.
Laser cutters use a CO2 gas laser beam to melt and vaporize metal that is blown away by another gas jet. A laser cutter can make a very thin, precise cut compared with other cutting tools. They work best on metal that is between a tenth and two-fifths of an inch thick. The thinner metal may be damaged somewhat by the heat. Compared with a water jet cutter, a laser cutter is very quiet and requires a minimum of cleanup.
A plasma cutter works on any material that conducts electricity. The tool heats up a gas until it becomes ionized and forms an electric arc between the plasma (ionized gas) and the material to be cut. The heat and speed of the arc simultaneously melt and blow away the metal, similar to the laser cutting process. A computer-controlled plasma cutting table can cut through metal up to 5.9 inches thick.
An oxy-fuel cutter uses a high-temperature natural gas to melt the metal and a jet of oxygen to oxidize it and blow it way. Oxy-fuel cutting works well with carbon steel but not with stainless steel, which does not oxidize, or aluminum, which has a higher melting point when oxidized. For more information about these and other processes in Metal Fabrication Seattle WA, check out Specialty Metals, which you can visit online.
