Slicing and Dicing Metal in Manufacturing

The majority of companies that form sheet metal and manufacture product require a cutting process. In the automotive and aerospace industries, shaping sheet metal techniques are needed for removing material. How do you think titanium bodies for flight hardware and door panels are made? These both use some method to cut the material into the final shapes. Included amongst these processes are water jet and laser cutting.

Water jet cutting uses a stream of rushed water that is usually mixed with an abrasive to make a clean cut to hold close dimensions. Because the force of the water can get up to 60 psi or more, this process is very noisy. Ear plugs and safety goggles should be worn. In laser cutting, a computer directs a high powered laser beam to the sheet metal being cut. Carbon monoxide lasers operate by shooting currents through a gas mixture for cutting. An abundance of energy is needed with laser cutting. Safety glasses can be worn, but are not needed. Clean up after using the water jet is generally longer than that of laser machining because of cutting waste and the abrasives required in the water jet method.

Today’s technology offers a wide variety of metal cutting methods in the world of manufacturing. The choice depends upon several factors such as the material’s type, length, width and thickness. Accuracy also plays a huge role. No matter what the process or application, there is one that will work for most manufacturing companies.