cutting 1 mm (0.036) stainless steel

[peterklos]

Hi
I have a laser engraving business and we get 1000's of tags cut on a 3rd party laser cutter .
we are thinking of buying a CNC plasma cutter to cut no more than 3 mm of stainless

My question is can we get a good edge finish from a plasma cutter , burn/ heat marks would be unacceptable
regards peter

[jimcolt]

Depends on what cnc machine and what plasma cutter. An air plasma cutter on a low cost cnc (under about $20k) will produce a slightly rough, oxidized edge. A high definition plasma on a precision cnc (industrial grade like a laser cnc) will produce very nice edges, though not as nice as a high pressure nitrogen laser.

If edge quality and accuracy is the prevalent requirement on thin gauge stainless....then the laser is the best choice. Keep in mind that an industrial cnc laser has a purchase price in the $250k and up range, a high definition plasma is in the $85k range, and air plasma on a low cost cnc can be had for less than $20k. Then of course, there are abrasive waterjets that can cut with better quality than the laser, but at much slower cut speeds. Their purchase price would fall somewhere between the laser and the high definition plasma cutter.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

[peterklos]

Hi Jim
thanks for the information , we are thinking of a waterjet cutter as most suitable , feed rate is not a problem we just need a good product with no blemishes at the end of the day.
we have a large CNC router and CNC lathe we program in mastercam , so the technology transition wont be too hard just the transition between the bank account
peter