Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Initial position finding when cutting with plasma


Modern systems for cutting thin sheet metal are normally equipped with a tactile position sensor for establishing the initial position by physically making contact with the sheet.

Major manufacturers of plasma systems equip their cutting torches with what is known as a contact sensor and the IHT M 400 PCS Height Control system has a compatible input that accepts this signal.

For those cutting systems that do not have a built in contact sensor, IHT Automation has now developed its own contact sensor that can be fitted to any plasma cutting torch.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Comparison of cutting processes

These days many machine manufacturers try to explain the different cutting methods that exist in such a way that presents their method (and by inference their product) as being the best.
Being independent, we know that choosing the right cutting machine equipped with the best cutting process is very difficult as there are many different systems on the market and many factors to consider when making your choice.

Plasma cutting promises high productivity and high quality water jet systems are able to cope with a wider range of materials. Laser wins when talking about cutting thin materials, and because of its high speed, oxy-fuel cutting has a great advantage when it comes to cutting thick plates.


However other factors such as the useful life of the cutting machine or the reduction of the amount of material which is wasted during cutting are seldom considered despite being highly important.


To help you make your choice, IHT's Telma Keppler has recently written a technical paper that reviews the current state of different cutting processes outlining their advantages and disadvantages, and it also covers several recent innovations in the oxy-fuel cutting industry. Copies of the paper can be obtained free of charge by emailing us at sales@iht-automation.com.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Why does IHT offer two different system for plasma cutting?

In each of its main ranges, IHT has two different variants for plasma cutting ( M 4000 ARC / C 1000 ARC and M 4000 PCS / C 1000 PCS). These two versions (ARC and PCS) differ in the way they operate, their levels of functionality and the number of cutting parameters that can be configured. Here I explain the difference........


If you always cut the same material, choose ARC
If you are always cutting the same material, you are typically always using the same cutting parameters. In these circumstances, it would be inconvenient and time wasting to have to set the same parameters each time and therefore for this type of application we recommend using the ARC version. On ARC systems you can set the main parameters very quickly and easily and still get a very precise cut.

If you have to cut different materials or different thicknesses, choose PCS
If you find yourself having to cut different materials or different thicknesses, then there is a need to be able to change multiple cutting parameters on a frequent basis. For this type of operation, a PCS system provides a flexible way of quickly entering the necessary settings.

There is increased functionality with the IHT M 4000 PCS and C 1000 PCS height control systems where there is the additional possibility to transfer all the cutting parameters digitally from your CNC machine using CUTBUS®.