Galvanized Steel Sheet

[pjsr]

Has anyone cut galvanized steel? I am looking for a place to get less expensive steel and there is a sheet metal supply place near me that sells metal for air conditioning ducts. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks

[Bigrhamr]

Galv puts off some nasty fumes while cutting, welding or even grinding on it. I would suggest staying away from it unless you have a need to use it, then make sure you have proper fume control.

[4R8]

The sheet used in A/c ducts is also generally around .6mm in it's thickest form. generally a galv piece of stock or sheet will be more expensive than it's raw equivalent.

[jimcolt]

Galvanized steel cuts as well or better (less dross) than regular mild steel. It costs more than mild steel, and the fumes (zinc) can make you very sick.....have a good downdraft or water table...and wear a respirator/filter.

Jim Colt

[dharms]

We have been cutting galvanized sheet since we got our machine in Feb. without a problem (I have cut some 24 ga. prepainted sheets left over from a metal roofing job). There are a few things we have learned. We are using a Torchmate 2 with a Thermal Dynamics A-120 with a water table.

1. You start getting passable quality cuts using 20 ga. or heavier. We have actually cut 26 ga. at 30 amps but the cuts are not smooth as you might like. So gauge is important.

2. We bring our water all the way up on the table (right to the bottom of the sheet, just barely touching the bottom).

3. Don't know if you have AVHC or not. Double check your pierce and cut height.

4. Feed rate is also important. I have cut 26 ga. as fast as 250 ipm but with 20 ga. I am down to about 150 ipm 35-40 amps. The heavier the material the slower you need to go. The manufacture of the torch should have given you a manual with a chart to try.

Hope this helps.

[abmetal]

We just cut 24g galvanized for the first time yesterday. Played around with settings and came up with excellent cutting at 200 ipm at 30 amps with a 45 amp fine cut tip. We have a Samson 5x10 table, machine torch and a Hypertherm Powermax 65.
Allen