cutting hot rolled plate

[_Ogre]

i have a 4x8 sheet of 1/2'' hr that i'm cutting into 7''x7'' base plates
how close can i cut from the last plate? would 3/8'' be fine?
if i use 3/8'' i can get 13 rows; if i go with 1/2'' i get 12 rows

[Gamelord]

It kind of depends on your torch and how wide the kerf is. You should have plenty of room at 3/8 (distance between parts). I can usually get down to 1/16" if i really push it and have to squeeze....I usually leave a minimum of 1/8" between cuts just to make sure the burn-through doesn't effect the next part of the bevel.

[SeanP]

I have found you need to watch where your last cut edge finishes, if it's on the same side as a previous cut it can move with distortion being to close, so try to keep the last cut on a side that's tied into the sheet. (suppose that's the same for any thickness when trying to get close up)
If you watch that, 1/8'' between cuts works for me.

[_Ogre]

thanks for the feedback
i'll leave it at 3/8''
less won't get me more parts

[_Ogre]

first time for everything...

first time we've loaded full sheets on the table and cut the full sheet
2- 3/8 plates and 1- 1/2 plate of 7x7 base plates without a hitch and dang near perfect cut quality

3/8 plates had slots,



1/2 plates had holes



the 3/8 gap is way too much, i'll knock it down to 3/16 next time, though it won't get me more parts
dross came off with a putty knife, pretty simple to scrape off and then run a grinder around to ease the edge

[_Ogre]

I have found you need to watch where your last cut edge finishes, if it's on the same side as a previous cut it can move with distortion being to close, so try to keep the last cut on a side that's tied into the sheet. (suppose that's the same for any thickness when trying to get close up)
If you watch that, 1/8'' between cuts works for me.

i may try 1/8'' next time too
not worth it to redraw for this design, though it would give me more dunage to use for my own projects

yes, i rarely use the sheetcam tool path
i always re-path to leave the last cut edge attached and avoid tip ups or slag piles

i drew up three 48'' wide columns and put in a stop at the next start point so i could check cut quality every half hour
re-zero x axis and hit go, it was pretty painless

[BTA Plasma]

If it was just squares you could have just cut strips. Because you had inside features a small skeleton or no skeleton and cut one at a time is the best method to avoid thermal dynamic growth issues.