Capital Steel - Steel Cutting

Advanced Precision Cutting Technology

Oxy-fuel Cutting Technology

Oxy-fuel cutting quick facts

Oxy-fuel cutting is a process of heating metal to a kindling temperature
The oxygen chemically combines with the iron in the steel and instantly oxidizes the iron into molten iron oxide
In oxy-fuel cutting, oxidation of the metal being cut (the steel) produces nearly all of the heat required to "burn" through the workpiece

Oxy-fuel cutting overview

Oxy-fuel refers to technology that burns oxygen with gaseous fuel. As compared to air, which contains 20.95% oxygen, higher temperatures can be reached using pure oxygen. Approximately the same total energy is produced when burning a fuel with oxygen as compared to with air; the difference is the lack of temperature diluting inert gases. The most common fuel burned in a torch with oxygen is acetylene; even though it presents special handling problems, it has the greatest heat output

In oxy-fuel cutting, a cutting torch is used to heat metal to kindling temperature. A stream of oxygen then trained on the metal combines with the metal which then flows out of the cut as an oxide slag. For cutting, the set-up is a little different. A cutting torch has a 60 or 90-degree angled head with orifices placed around a central jet. The outer jets are for preheat flames of oxygen and acetylene. The central jet carries only oxygen for cutting. The use of a number of preheating flames, rather than a single flame makes it possible to change the direction of the cut as desired without changing the position of the nozzle or the angle which the torch makes with the direction of the cut, as well as giving a better preheat balance.

The flame is not intended to melt the metal, but to bring it to its ignition temperature. The torch's trigger blows extra oxygen at higher pressures down the torch's third tube out of the central jet into the workpiece, causing the metal to burn and blowing the resulting molten oxide through to the other side. The ideal kerf is a narrow gap with a sharp edge on either side of the workpiece; overheating the workpiece and thus melting through it causes a rounded edge.

Cutting is initiated by heating the edge or leading face (as in cutting shapes such as round rod) of the steel to the ignition temperature (approximately bright cherry red heat) using the pre-heat jets only, then using the separate cutting oxygen valve to release the oxygen from the central jet. The oxygen chemically combines with the iron in the ferrous material to instantly oxidize the iron into molten iron oxide, producing the cut. Initiating a cut in the middle of a workpiece is known as piercing

For more information about oxy-fuel cutting, click on the link below

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxy-fuel_welding_and_cutting