
Can oxy fuel cutting be used with other materials?
Pure oxygen fuel should be carefully used or it risks serious injuries. The flame cutting steel process can be use for numerous purposes, provided the oxide formed has a low melting point when compared to the material being cut. This is the reason the oxy fuel cutting process cannot be used with other materials. A perfect example is aluminum.
What metals can not be cut with oxyfuel?
Oxy-fuel cutting cannot cut non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, stainless, brass or copper. Elements such as chromium, nickel, molybdenum inhibit the ability to cut steel with the oxy-fuel process. Click to see full answer. Just so, what metals can be cut with the oxyfuel process?
How thick can an oxy fuel cutter cut steel?
It can cut steel thickness from 1 mm to 1200 mm. And in most cases it used to cut steel plate thickness more than 20 mm, since oxy fuel cutting usually brings big tolerance. For steels under 20 mm, better to use other cutting method like laser cut or waterjet cut.
How many parts does an oxyfuel cutting machine produce?
But if the machine is cutting six parts at a time, an oxyfuel system can produce a significant amount of parts in short order. That said, six torches moving simultaneously through thick material generate a lot of heat, and heavy-duty tables need to account for it.

What metals can be cut with oxyfuel gas process?
What metals can be cut with the oxyfuel gas process? Any metal that will rapidly oxidize, such as iron, low-carbon steel, magnesium, titanium and zinc.
What are 4 possible applications of oxy fuel gas cutting equipment?
Cutting processes - application of oxyfuel cuttingLow cost equipment.Basic equipment suitable for cutting, gouging and other jobs such as welding and heating.Portable, suitable for site work.Manual and mechanised operations.Mild and low alloy steels (but not aluminium or stainless steel)More items...
What metals Cannot be cut with oxy-acetylene?
Metals such as aluminum and stainless steel cannot be cut with Oxyfuel due to the formation of an oxide that prevents oxidation from fully occurring.
Which material Cannot be cut by the oxyfuel process?
Oxy-fuel cutting cannot cut non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, stainless, brass or copper. Elements such as chromium, nickel, molybdenum inhibit the ability to cut steel with the oxy-fuel process. Manganese, silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur in normal amounts have little effect on the cutting process.
What is oxy-fuel cutting used for?
Oxy-fuel cutting is used for the cutting of mild steel. Only metals whose oxides have a lower melting point than the base metal itself can be cut with this process.
What gas can be used to cut steel?
Natural GasFuel GasMaximum Flame Temperature °CHeat distribution kJ/m3Acetylene3,16018,890Propane2,82810,433MAPP2,97615,445Propylene2,89616,0004 more rows
What can you cut with oxy-acetylene?
Oxy-acetylene can cut only low- to medium-carbon steels and wrought iron. High-carbon steels are difficult to cut because the melting point of the slag is closer to the melting point of the parent metal, so that the slag from the cutting action does not eject as sparks but rather mixes with the clean melt near the cut.
Can you Oxy cut aluminum?
Oxy-fuel torches are normally used for cutting only ferrous metals or those containing iron, such as carbon steel. For the most part, they are not used for cutting cast iron, aluminum or stainless steel.
Can oxy-fuel cut stainless steel?
1:374:41How To Cut Stainless Steel Using Oxy Fuel - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipMake sure you understand that you cannot cut stainless steel with oxy fuel.MoreMake sure you understand that you cannot cut stainless steel with oxy fuel.
Can Aluminium be gas cut?
Due to this reason, aluminum materials are not suitable for gas cutting. The other reason is the high thermal conductivity of the aluminum material. A similar case is for stainless steel or material having high chromium as chromium forms a chromium oxide layer when it came to contact with oxygen in the atmosphere.
Can stainless steel be welded with oxy acetylene?
– Yes, stainless steel can be welded with an oxy/acetylene torch. A good welding flux which protects the welding zone from oxygen should be used.
Can you cut galvanized steel with a torch?
One danger of cutting galvanized steel is metal fume fever, a condition caused by the released zinc fumes. The condition usually only lasts a single day, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, with workers most susceptible after several days away from the work environment.
How thick can a oxy fuel cut?
It can cut steel thickness from 1 mm to 1200 mm. And in most cases it used to cut steel plate thickness more than 20 mm, since oxy fuel cutting usually brings big tolerance. For steels under 20 mm, better to use other cutting method like laser cut or waterjet cut. (For to get a high precision.) On the other hand, as oxy fuel cutting technology is ...
What fuel is used to cut through a material?
In addition to this, the oxy fuel jet and the gas used influence the cutting period used to cut through a material. In most cases, oxygen fuel is mixed with other fuel gas such as propane, methane; acetylene, propylene and MAPP to reach achieve the ignition temperature. The flame cutting steel temperature must below the material’s melting point. ...
Why use a cutting torch?
The cutting torch is designed to provide Oxygen fuel gas for to burn the iron oxide, in this way to guarantee the stable of the temperature and get better cutting performances.
What fuel is used in flame cutting?
Afterwards, pure oxy fuel is passed through the preheated area to kick off the flame cutting process. The chosen ignition gas depends on whether the process is mechanized or manually handled, the material type and the work being handled.
What are the advantages of CNC flame cut?
CNC flame cut steel advantages is it can cut big thick steel plate, lower cost , but disadvantages also the same with common flame cut. Which is big transformation, lower precision, slow cutting speed takes long time for preheating, perforation slow, and is hard for all the auto operations.
What is flame cutting?
Flame Cutting (Oxy Fuel Cutting) – A Method to Cut Steel. Flame cutting (also known as oxy fuel cutting), it is to use the heat burned from oxy fuel gas, to cut steel materials or the hard metals to the panels or profiles required. It can cut steel thickness from 1 mm to 1200 mm. And in most cases it used to cut steel plate thickness more ...
Why is flame cut steel used?
As we know, metal fabrication entails cutting, heating and welding steel. There are numerous techniques used to shape steel, flame cut steel is one of these techniques and with hardware development now you are able ...
What is oxyfuel cutting?
Material. Oxy-fuel cutting is used for the cutting of mild steel. Only metals whose oxides have a lower melting point than the base metal itself can be cut with this process. Otherwise as soon as the metal oxidises it terminates the oxidation by forming a protective crust.
What temperature to cut steel with oxygen?
Before cutting, the cutting torch has to pre-heat the steel to ignition temperature at the starting point. At this temperature of around 960°C ( depending on type of alloy), the steel has lost protective properties against oxygen and is still solid. Pure oxygen is then directed through the nozzle at the heated area.
How does oxygen change steel?
This fine and high pressure oxygen stream changes pre-heated and unprotected steel into oxidised liquid steel by an exothermic reaction. This slag has a lower melting point than steel, so the oxygen stream can blow the liquid slag out of the cavity without affecting the non-oxidised solid steel.
What is the name of the movement of a torch from the scrap zone to the programmed start position and angle?
The movement of the torch from the scrap zone to the programmed start position and angle is called lead-in.
What is the movement of a torch into the scrap zone after completing a cut?
The movement of the torch into the scrap zone after completing a cut is called the lead-out. To make a smooth and controlled cross over from the start and the end of the cut (same point), the torch can be programmed to move radially in at start and also move radially out.
What is the shortest distance through a material?
The shortest distance through the material is a cut perpendicular to the wall. In case of a beveled cut (an angled cut for weld preparation) the cutting torch will be at an angle and the heat transfer to the material will be less than that of a perpendicular cut and the cut length will be greater.
Can steel be cut with oxyfuel?
Otherwise as soon as the metal oxidises it terminates the oxidation by forming a protective crust. Only mild steel and some low alloys meet the above conditions and can be cut effectively with the oxy-fuel process.
How the Oxy-Fuel Cutting Process Works
The oxy-fuel cutting process is capable of cutting steel whose composition is less than .3% carbon. Mild steel is comprised of 98% iron, 1% manganese, carbon up to .3% and various other elements in small amounts. Oxy-fuel cutting cannot cut non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, stainless, brass or copper.
Oxygen Purity
Single piece cutting tips are normally designed for cutting with acetylene. Single piece tips are copper with a drilled and swaged hole for the center cutting oxygen flow and four to six drilled holes for the preheat gas flow.
Straight and Divergent Bore
Straight bore tips typically use between 40 – 60 PSI of cutting oxygen. Machine cutting tips are typically divergent bore tips with a tapered or flared outlet hole. Divergent bore tips use 70 – 100 PSI of cutting oxygen and offer 25% increase in cutting speed over straight-bore tips.
What is Oxy-fuel cutting?
Oxy-fuel welding and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases (or liquid fuels such as gasoline or petrol) and oxygen to weld or cut metals. French engineers Edmond Fouche and Charles Picard became the first to develop oxygen-acetylene welding in 1903.
How Does the Oxyfuel Cutting Process Work?
Oxy-fuel cutting is a chemical reaction between pure oxygen and steel to form iron oxide. It can be described as rapid, controlled rusting. Preheat flames are used to raise the surface or edge of the steel to approximately 1800°F (bright red color).
Characteristics of oxy-fuel compared to plasma
Material. Oxy-fuel cutting is used for the cutting of mild steel. Only metals whose oxides have a lower melting point than the base metal itself can be cut with this process. Otherwise as soon as the metal oxidizes it terminates the oxidation by forming a protective crust. Only mild steel and some low alloys meet the above conditions.
Oxyfuel Cutting Advantages and Disadvantages
With oxyfuel cutting applications, fuel gas and oxygen are used to generate the cutting flame. Messer Cutting Systems supplies gases including acetylene, MAPP, propane, and natural gas, and information relative to your requirements.
How deep does oxyfuel cut?
An oxyfuel cutting process cuts a workpiece that’s more than 8 feet deep. The cut edge isn’t pretty, of course.
What is the reaction between oxygen jet and iron in plate cutting?
The central oxygen jet takes over and cutting commences. In heavy plate cutting, the exothermic reaction, between the oxygen jet and iron in the material, really is what performs the cutting action. Say a job comes up that requires you to cut material from 8 all the way up to 12 inches thick.
How does oxygen react with iron?
As the preheat fuel and oxygen mix and heat the workpiece to kindling temperature, the oxygen reacts with the iron in the material to help carry cutting energy through inches, and sometimes feet, of material thickness. The central oxygen jet takes over and cutting commences.
Why does oxyfuel need a long preheat time?
Oxyfuel cutting thick plate requires long preheat times as the metal in the workpiece rises to kindling temperature. Here’s where the risk of flashback arises. Material from the workpiece or atmosphere can become lodged in the tip.
Why is acetylene unstable?
Stored acetylene can become very unstable if the cutting system draws too much fuel gas out of the bottle over a short period. And you can use a high volume of fuel gas when cutting thick plate. An oxyfuel torch sliced through this piece of steel, more than a foot thick.
How deep is a flame cutting?
At a handful of industrial facilities on this planet, you’ll see a long flame cutting through a mountain of steel 10 feet deep. It looks volcanic, primordial, perhaps other-worldly. Making it happen is one of metal fabrication’s oldest technologies: oxyfuel cutting.
Can you use a water table for plasma cutting?
Using a water table usually isn’t a practical option. Plasma cutting can occur underwater, of course, but oxyfuel cutting can’t. An oxyfuel torch can cut a plate sitting on slats that are above water, but the water tends to over-cool the bottom of the plate, preventing the dross from falling off easily.
Stage for Oxy Fuel Cutting
Oxy-fuel gas cutting is a thermal cutting process. According to the degree of mechanization, we can distinguish between hand cutting (manual cutting), partly mechanical, fully-mechanized, and automated cutting.
Process principle of flame cutting
The heating of the workpiece to be cut by the heating flame to ignition temperature in the area of the effective zone of the cutting oxygen jet. The ignition temperature depends on the carbon content of the steel at 1,150 °C to 1,200 °C.
Why Stainless or Aluminum can not cut by oxyfuel torch cutting?
Stainless steel and aluminum have an oxide layer on their outer surface and the melting temperature of these oxides are much higher than the base metals. For example, the melting point of the aluminum is 660 Degree Celsius (1220 °F) but the melting point of its oxide is 2050 Degree Celsius ( 3722 °F ).
Oxyfuel cutting of Cast Iron
The cutting of cast iron is also not possible with oxyfuel gas cutting. Here, cast iron mean material having more than 2% Carbon. The reason is the presence of graphite in the microstructure. The melting temperature of graphite is 3,600°C while the cast iron melting temperature 1300°C (vary based on carbon percentage).
Easy trick to cut stainless steel in Shop when Plasma or laser cutting is not available
It is many times we face difficulty in shop when we don’t have laser cutting or plasma cutting. The cutting with cutting wheel is good for small thickness but what if you have to cut thicker parts, lets say 20 mm thick plate?
Preconditions for flame cutting
To enable the start of the heat-generating (exothermic) process, the material to be cut must meet the following requirements:
