In the previous post we talk about steel fabricators tools regarding metal shaping; now it’s time to talk about metal cutting.
Metal cutting is commonly done by a relative motion between the work piece and the hard edge of a cutting tool. It could also be done either by a single point cutting tool or a multi-point cutting tool. Below are the common tools used in cutting of metals.
Hand Shears
This is a manual way to cut metal that is necessary no matter how many large tools you have. Hand shears or snips are one of the first tools you should purchase when entering in the world of steel fabrication. You can check out the internet for various types of hands shears, from the simple straight, left and right snips to specialized jaws.
Power Shears
They are best described as power “scissors” for cutting metals. They allow you to cut metal sheet more efficiently and quickly with less manual effort. They are designed to cut straight lines and relatively large radius curves. Their advantage over a bandsaw is the fact that there is no size limit.
There are many types of power shears available on the market. They are ranged from pneumatic shears to electric shears. Most power shears are not capable of cutting intricate shapes or tight corners. There are specialized throatless power shears or nibblers on the market that can cut tighter radii.
Most power shears do waste some material when cutting – which is determined by the spacing of the stationary jaws. Check out power shears that you can use the most.
Throatless Shears
This is another type of mechanical cutting or shearing of metal. These are designed to allow you to cut metal in straight lines or shapes and radii in metal sheet with no marring of the cut edge. They are great in making complex straight and curve cuts.
Throatless shears are hand operated and use a hinged blade that swings down and cuts the metal that’s lying on a stationary adjacent blade. It waste no material when cutting, which is a must have in amking more than a few cuts in steel.
The throatless shear takes its name from the fact that the metal can be freely moved around the cutting blade, allowing great flexibility in shapes that can be cut.
Bench Shear
It is also known as lever shear. It is a bench mounted shear with a compound mechanism to increase the mechanical advantage. It is usually used for cutting rough shapes put of medium sized pieces of sheet metal, but cannot do delicate work.
Smaller shears are designed for a wide field of applications, light weight and easy efficient operations, yet sturdy in construction.
The cutting blades fitted are carefully and accurately ground to give easy, clean quick cuts, and burrs free. These special features help the operators save a great deal of their energy. IT is electrically welded together to make it a sturdy stable unit that can withstand the highest stresses due to heavy duty usage. The footplates are reinforced with bracing angles so that they can give firm stability to the shear.
Angle Grinder
Also known as a side grinder or disc grinder is a handheld power tool used for cutting, grinding and polishing.
Angle grinders can be powered by an electric motor, petrol engine or compressed air. The motor drives a geared head at a right-angle on which an abrasive disc or a thinner cut-off disc, either of which can be replaced when worn. They simply spin the attached disc or wheel at a fast rate of speed for removing material in quick manner. Thin cutting discs are available for cutting metal. These are messy and noisy but they will get the job done.
Angle grinders typically have an adjustable guard and a side-handle for two-handed operation. Some grinders can be used as sanders, depending on their speed range, employing a sanding disc with a backing pad or disc.
Plasma Cutter
The process of plasma cutting is used to cut steel and metals of different thicknesses using a plasma torch. It can be as aggressive and powerful or delicate as you want if setup properly. A properly adjusted plasma cutter can cut metal sheets quickly with an extreme accuracy and of minimal clean up. These are very helpful if you need to make long straight cuts that may be difficult to handle alone on a throatless shear.
In the process of plasma cutting, a gas is blown at high speed out of a nozzle. At the same time an electric arc is formed through that gas from the nozzle to the surface being cut, turning some of that gas to plasma. The plasma is hot enough to melt the metal being cut and moves fast enough to blow molten metal away from the cut.
This is the end for Metal cutting, stay connected for Part 3 and Part 4.
You can read the previous post here.
Looking for steel fabricators in the Philippines? Visit TKL at http://tkl.com.ph/
Metal cutting is commonly done by a relative motion between the work piece and the hard edge of a cutting tool. It could also be done either by a single point cutting tool or a multi-point cutting tool. Below are the common tools used in cutting of metals.
Hand Shears
This is a manual way to cut metal that is necessary no matter how many large tools you have. Hand shears or snips are one of the first tools you should purchase when entering in the world of steel fabrication. You can check out the internet for various types of hands shears, from the simple straight, left and right snips to specialized jaws.
Power Shears
They are best described as power “scissors” for cutting metals. They allow you to cut metal sheet more efficiently and quickly with less manual effort. They are designed to cut straight lines and relatively large radius curves. Their advantage over a bandsaw is the fact that there is no size limit.
There are many types of power shears available on the market. They are ranged from pneumatic shears to electric shears. Most power shears are not capable of cutting intricate shapes or tight corners. There are specialized throatless power shears or nibblers on the market that can cut tighter radii.
Most power shears do waste some material when cutting – which is determined by the spacing of the stationary jaws. Check out power shears that you can use the most.
Throatless Shears
This is another type of mechanical cutting or shearing of metal. These are designed to allow you to cut metal in straight lines or shapes and radii in metal sheet with no marring of the cut edge. They are great in making complex straight and curve cuts.
Throatless shears are hand operated and use a hinged blade that swings down and cuts the metal that’s lying on a stationary adjacent blade. It waste no material when cutting, which is a must have in amking more than a few cuts in steel.
The throatless shear takes its name from the fact that the metal can be freely moved around the cutting blade, allowing great flexibility in shapes that can be cut.
Bench Shear
It is also known as lever shear. It is a bench mounted shear with a compound mechanism to increase the mechanical advantage. It is usually used for cutting rough shapes put of medium sized pieces of sheet metal, but cannot do delicate work.
Smaller shears are designed for a wide field of applications, light weight and easy efficient operations, yet sturdy in construction.
The cutting blades fitted are carefully and accurately ground to give easy, clean quick cuts, and burrs free. These special features help the operators save a great deal of their energy. IT is electrically welded together to make it a sturdy stable unit that can withstand the highest stresses due to heavy duty usage. The footplates are reinforced with bracing angles so that they can give firm stability to the shear.
Angle Grinder
Also known as a side grinder or disc grinder is a handheld power tool used for cutting, grinding and polishing.
Angle grinders can be powered by an electric motor, petrol engine or compressed air. The motor drives a geared head at a right-angle on which an abrasive disc or a thinner cut-off disc, either of which can be replaced when worn. They simply spin the attached disc or wheel at a fast rate of speed for removing material in quick manner. Thin cutting discs are available for cutting metal. These are messy and noisy but they will get the job done.
Angle grinders typically have an adjustable guard and a side-handle for two-handed operation. Some grinders can be used as sanders, depending on their speed range, employing a sanding disc with a backing pad or disc.
Plasma Cutter
The process of plasma cutting is used to cut steel and metals of different thicknesses using a plasma torch. It can be as aggressive and powerful or delicate as you want if setup properly. A properly adjusted plasma cutter can cut metal sheets quickly with an extreme accuracy and of minimal clean up. These are very helpful if you need to make long straight cuts that may be difficult to handle alone on a throatless shear.
In the process of plasma cutting, a gas is blown at high speed out of a nozzle. At the same time an electric arc is formed through that gas from the nozzle to the surface being cut, turning some of that gas to plasma. The plasma is hot enough to melt the metal being cut and moves fast enough to blow molten metal away from the cut.
This is the end for Metal cutting, stay connected for Part 3 and Part 4.
You can read the previous post here.
Looking for steel fabricators in the Philippines? Visit TKL at http://tkl.com.ph/