Whenever new challenges and opportunities knock at the door, metal fabrication shop owners deal with it proficiently. It’s not because they have the manpower or a pile of money. It’s because they know when to bring an upgrade in the certain process and how to tackle the obstacles.

Long ago, when cutting only meant cutting with big sharp scissors, metal fabricators felt the need for automation in that sector and thus laser cutting is developed. Other machinery that we see today, metal bending press brakes, arc welding equipment or any metal rolling machines, etc. are a result of their need in metal fabrication.

But like everything, these technologies are gradually being replaced by their modern counterparts.

For the cutting sector, relatively old laser cutting is now being dominated by plasma cutting, which is much more cost efficient in cutting than laser cutting machines.

Plasma Cutting is a better option for cutting  

According to most, Plasma cutting (otherwise known as arc cutting) was developed in the 1980s for the metals that flame could not cut, like stainless steel, copper, and aluminum. The plasma cutting process generally uses an electrically conductive gas that transfers energy from an electrical power source via the plasma cutting torch onto the surface of the material being cut. There are a number of gases that can be used. Most used plasma gases include argon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and mixtures, plus oxygen and air. Nowadays, complicated cutting in stainless steel fabrication, aluminium fabrication, and steel fabrication is mostly done with plasma cutting and there are a number of reason why metal fabrication shop owners are switching to plasma cutting.

1. Plasma cutting is cheaper: Industrial grade laser cutting machines use expensive gas lasers. Although the laser cutting can do the details more efficiently than regular plasma cutting, the cost is just way over then head. That’s way plasma cutting is an economical option for any project other than metal design sheet works.
2.  Plasma cutting machines can cut deep: While laser cutting excels at more polished edges, plasma cutting has the upper hand in heavy works. Plasma cutting is the best option for thick sheet metals or parts, which laser cutting machines can’t penetrate.
3.  Higher cutting speed: With plasma cutting, metal fabricators can achieve a higher cutting speed unparalleled to laser cutting or flame cutting. So, metal fabricators choose plasma cutting when they have a batch of work that needs to be done before deadline approaches.
4.  Maintenance is easy: Plasma cutting is not only cheap to buy. It’s easier to carry the maintenance expenses too. Besides, it is easier to track the malfunction in the machine and fix it.
5.  Plasma cutting can cut a combination of different metals: Laser cutting can only cut a certain type of material and only when it’s not contaminated with or metals other mixed with other metals. This is because laser cutting was not developed to cut through a material with multiple melting points. However, with plasma cutting, metal fabricators have no limits. They can cut any alloy or any combination of metals, regardless of their different melting points.

These are the reason why metal fabricator shop owners are switching to a more cost efficient cutting.