CNC is the acronym of Computer Numeric Control and it is often associated with plasma cutting as in CNC plasma cutting. A plasma cutting unit that is controlled by CNC is controlled by a computer. There are two basic classes of controls, industrial PC-based control systems and hobbyist/artisan PC-based control systems. The industrial CNC systems, such as the ones produced by Hypertherm or Burny, are robust enough to stand up the harsh production environments. They have a touch screen that can be housed inside of a heat shield for additional protection. The industrial CNCs are very costly, but they come highly recommended for any application because they are not vulnerable to typical PC problems meaning they have very little down time. Due to the high cost you will not often find industrial scale CNCs in a hobbyist's garage. The artisan and the hobbyist plasma cutter use standard PC-based controls with I/O cards for controlling the plasma systems and the drives. Since these are regular PCs they are prone to an array of computer problems, but none that cannot be fixed. ™ If you want to use a CNC for your plasma cutting there are some things you will need. You will need a table for the cutting to take place on. On each side of the table you must have a rail that the drives can use to move the plasma systems; we will call this the x-axis. A bridge or gantry must span the table and each end must rest on the rails. The plasma system must be attached to a rail on the bridge which will allow it to move back and forth; the y-axis. Industrial strength set ups us fabricated steel for the construction of the table, rails and bridge. On the other hand, extruded aluminum is used for the hobbyist and artisan CNC plasma cutter set ups. The difference is that the steel is more robust and will withstand constant use whereas the aluminum can only withstand occasional use. If building one of these machines sounds a little scary to you, there are lots of kits that you can buy or you have the option of buying ready built CNC plasma cutters. If you cruise the web cnc kesimi you will be able to find many videos showing CNC plasma cutters in action. It is not the easiest topic in the world to explain and I suggest you check out some videos if you have not seen a CNC plasma cutter before. There are a variety of different CNC machines that offer the ability of metal cutting. You can use a lathe, a plasma cutter, and even a router. The machine that you will want to use will depend solely upon the job that will need to be performed, the specifications and diagrams of the job and the type of material that will be used. Some machines are better with different types of materials. For example, a lathe may be able to cut brass, however, what about 6" steel? As you can see, there is a difference in the capabilities of the machines and what type of materials that can be used so that the job is performed to the right specifications. CNC plasma cutting machines offer the ability to cut through metal using heat. The CNC machine offers more precise cuts that what one can do manually. Large projects that are repetitive can be produced in a shorter period of time. The plasma cutters are usually available as portable devices or as stationary devices. CNC water jet cutting is just another form of metal fabrication machines that can offer precise and detailed cuts. The water jet cutting machines offers nesting capabilities that allow for very little waste of expensive materials. You can produce repetitive products or cut several different products out of the same piece of material. When the piece is finished, you can guarantee that you will have a clean, smooth edge that is cut to the right specifications. CNC laser cutting machines offers clients another form of metal cutting or fabrication. This machine creates what is known as "shaker" parts because the machine leaves a little piece of metal that connects each piece that has been cut. After the entire piece of material has been used, someone manually has to either shake the sheet to get the individual parts to break off of the large sheet or use a rubber mallet to break the ties. Because of the use of nitrogen and oxygen with the laser cutting machine, one can guarantee that the parts are smooth and professional and that there is no metal slap left over after the process is complete. CNC laser cutting offers extreme accuracy and cost efficiency for every project. No matter what type of CNC cutting machine that is being used, these machines are usually self contained units and can eliminate, by themselves, a lot of safety issues. However, one still needs to practice safety techniques around these machines as they can still be dangerous. Wearing safety goggles, gloves and possibly earplugs are just a few easy safety tips that you can take advantage of. The self contained machines leave little mess, hardly any worries of debris or dust particles in the air, etc. They are definitely a step above the former manual machines that were use in this industry. If you have any questions about the CNC cutting machines and what they have to offer or about the differences between them, contact your dealer as they should be able to answer any questions that you may have.
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