Through Thick And Thin: Light Gauge Plasma Cutting

A filter is a filter, you might think, and a plasma cutter is a plasma cutter. Filtration, however, is our business, and we can say with the utmost certainty that all filters are not created the same. And speaking of creating filters, we’re also well aware that new advances in plasma cutting technology are making filtration manufacturing easier than ever. As you’ve probably seen, the housings and mounts for filtration media, whether for air or liquid, are usually constructed from metal. In order to fit filters into tight spaces, and keep overall product weights down, this metal is often as thin as possible. Plasma cutting takes on a decidedly different aspect when applied to, for instance, 24 gauge sheet metal, but some of the latest cutters on the market keep the process as seamless as possible.

Even with cutters specifically designed for thin and light gauge metals, most of the typical precautions apply. When dealing with a process as energy=intensive as plasma cutting, one can’t be too careful. Be sure that these safety tips remain at the forefront of your checklist, no matter what equipment you’re using:

• Keep a fire extinguisher nearby: One of the biggest dangers in plasma cutting is overheating the substrate metal. With thin, light materials, energy and heat levels can get to the point of ignition even more quickly. A working, inspected fire extinguisher on hand will help prevent a minor spark from becoming a major problem.

• Ensure that the work area is free of other materials: Plasma cutting is designed for metal. This means, for instance, that paper filtration metal shouldn’t be anywhere near the cutting process - valuable inventory could be destroyed, not to mention the much lower flame temperature for those materials. These types of dangers should be either removed or, at the very least, protected from the cutter’s energy focus.

• Keep an eye on the dial: Even with cutters specifically designed for thin gauge metals, there remains a need for fine tuning and monitoring of energy levels. Make sure to periodically stop and inspect notches and cuts made, to ensure that the correct widths and accuracies are being maintained.

Ever since the Fabtech conference of a few months ago, we’ve been keeping an eye on these and other advances in plasma cutting. Learning that the safety rules haven’t changed is probably the most important lesson to be gained. Contact Dynamic Filtration with any further questions!