Cutting Stainless Steel

Using equipment that has processed ferrous material will impregnate stainless steel with free iron leading to rust and corrosion. Drilling stainless steel can be difficult but cutting a hole in stainless steel using a hole saw is even more difficult.

Improved Plasma Cutting Of Stainless Steel

For small tasks like cutting stainless steel backsplash tiles a Dremel fitted with an abrasive metal cutting wheel works excellent.

Cutting stainless steel. The next consideration for successful stainless steel cutting with plasma is material type. Ferrous metals tend to be harderand harder to cutthan nonferrous metals such as aluminum and copper. As an example the Hypertherm XPR300 will cut 12mm mild steel at nearly 3 meters per minute quality 1 whereas it would cut stainless steel at 17mmin quality 1.

In general cutting speeds for stainless steel are lower than they are for mild steel at a given thickness and cutting current. Make sure to connect the cutter to an air compressor and switch on the air. When a plasma process engineered for cutting 304L is applied to another similar austenitic alloy for example 316L dross and a rough cut edge can result.

Galvanized steel will corrode when you expose the underlying material. When cutting threading and bending stainless steel conduit all equipment that comes into contact with the conduit including bending shoes and vises should be new or used exclusively on stainless steel. When it comes to cutting a stainless steel plate there are several different ways that it can be done.

304L an austenitic stainless steel is the most commonly used grade worldwide. First and foremost you will have to prepare your plasma cutter. In this video I cut out a 1 inch ho.

Some of the different methods are a little more difficult than others but that will also depend on the thickness of the steel plate. Stainless steel is among the most used materials in the world because of its wide range of features such as strength resistance to corrosion and durability. The plasma cutter is best used for cutting through thick sheets of stainless steel.

First you can mechanically cut stainless steel and retain the corrosion resistance on the cut edges. When cutting stainless steel the important thing to remember is that it is a ferrous metal meaning it contains iron. Cutting Thick-Gauge Stainless Steel Step 1 Cut steel thicker than 8 gauge with an angle grinder with an abrasiveness cutoff wheel that is designed for making rough cuts on stainless steel.

Then set the correct current for your cutter. When cutting stainless steel its best to use a cold band saw but you can also use a jigsaw in the field for smaller cuts and thinner materials like 116 ⅛ etc If you are cutting thin materials make sure you secure your work piece in a vice or to a workbench with a set of clamps. There are many kinds of stainless steel and some hard types are challenging to cut.

Some materials such as galvanized steel simply have a corrosion resistant surface coating of zinc. Stainless Steel having a high level of Chromium Cr cannot be cut by simple oxy-cutting methods due to the refractory nature very high melting point of the Chrome Oxide which is formed. This phenomenon known as work hardening occurs because of the heat generated if the incorrect speed and feed rates for drilling and tapping stainless steel are applied.

For the most part many stainless steel plate pieces can be cut with simple power tools like a circular saw. For larger projects always mount an abrasive cut. Modified or other methods therefore have to be employed.

Thus considering its strength and durability one will be forgiven for being overwhelmed when it comes to cutting stainless steel. The problem is that many stainless steels 304 and 316 in particular can get harder and tougher to cut as you work if the cutting tools are improperly applied.

Hifocus 161i Neo Cutting 2 Mm Thin Stainless Steel Dunnblech Edelstahl Kjellberg Youtube