The Ultimate CNC Cheat Sheet | Oxyfuel Cutting | Plasma Cutting | Laser Cutting

When it comes to CNC machinery there are tons of choices and options. Trying to remember all the different jobs and processes can make your head spin. Thankfully, specific brands are standardized and can be simplified for a basic understanding of the different processes.

Processes:

Oxyfuel Cutting: This flame cutting process is the most cost effective. It’s for the cutting of mild and low alloy steels, even with weld preparations. Its plate thickness ranges from about 3mm-2800mm, and has a typical cutting range of 10mm-300mm. Oxyfuel cutting uses oxygen/fuel gas flame for a combustion process.

Plasma Cutting: This is a fast, precise process for cutting unalloyed and high alloyed steels as well as Aluminum with high quality. With mild steel its plate thickness ranges from 2mm-90mm, and with stainless steel its plate thickness ranges from 3mm-160mm. Its typical cutting range with mid steel is 2mm-50mm. It’s used in the cutting of electrically conductive metals by utilizing electrically conductive gas to transfer energy from an electrical power source through a plasma cutter torch to the material being cut.

Laser Cutting: Laser cutting is the highest quality of cuts with the best possible accuracy. It uses a square cut edge, narrow cut kerf, and low heat input. With mid steel the plate thickness ranges from 1mm-25mm, and with stainless steel the thickness ranges from 1mm-20mm. This uses a strong focused laser beam that’s produced by a laser diode. The high energy laser beam heats the surface of the material and melts it rapidly.

Machinery:

Machines	Process Options	Product Description	Laser Classification
ProBlade: Solid Design, High Quality	Oxyfuel, Plasma	The most economical access to the quality and support of the Messer World: ProBlade, the first Messer’s global machine. With a small size, this CNC cutting machine has a stabile track construction and an ergonomic design, tough enough for a hard days work. The installation of this machine is fast and easy, which saves costs and gets you into production.	Bevel (non-laser)
MetalMaster: Drop & Cut	Plasma	Dual side longitudinal drives and precision linear guides guarantee high cutting quality and consistency. The plate support table, which is integrated into the system, is divided into a number of sections for efficient fume extraction even with a smaller fan/filter unit. The highly dynamic performance of the machine is achieved through low weight with high design rigidity.	Bevel (non-laser)
MultiThermeco: Easy Operation and High Flexibility	Oxyfuel, Dry Plasma	Compact design, simple operation and high flexibility – that is the MultiTherm .The machine is conceived for daily work in a standard cutting shop. The high level of automation, simple set-up and operation enable high productivity of high quality parts – quickly and economically. The symmetrical wheel-housings and the parking space for unused torches over them optimize the working width in the narrowest spaces. The electrical cabinet is positioned over the wheel-housing so it is not exposed to thermal radiation from the cut plate. It is accessible from the side to simplify maintenance and service.	Bevel (non-laser)
MultiTherm: Versatile and Efficient	Oxyfuel, Dry Plasma, Laser	Whether plasma (straight or bevel), multi-torch oxyfuel cutting, laser, marking or a combination of all is your requirement, the MultiTherm® is the machine for you. High power drives for speeds up to 35 m/min* enable high positioning and cutting speeds even on tight contours. The effective working width is used to the maximum thanks to parking space for heads over the wheel-housing. Multiple torch operation for high productivity is, of course, possible with oxyfuel, plasma and laser operation.	Bevel
OmniMat: Machine for Special Tasks	Oxyfuel, Plasma	This machine has been robustly built to guide even the heaviest units accurately. The CNC controlled cutting machine with a high load gantry construction, dual sided longitudinal drives and precision machined guide sections offers you high cutting accuracy and shape consistency even in 24 hour continuous operation. Whether with oxyfuel, underwater or dry plasma, whether vertical cuts or bevels, the OmniMat® is the ideal solution for the toughest conditions.	Bevel (non-laser)
FIBERBLADE: Your Entry into the Laser Class	Laser	With the most modern fibre laser, the unit is at right up to date: the laser is characterised by a robust and long life design. No adjustment is necessary right up to the cross carriage and the emitter diodes in the laser have an average lifetime of over 50,000 hours. The laser beam is carried in an optical fibre cable through the drag chain to the cutting head, so no beam path purging gas is required. Because of the high efficiency of the laser and the low gas consumption in total, the cutting costs on the machine are kept very low.	Class 1
LaserMat: The Apex of Quality	Laser	With working widths of over 4 m and bed lengths up to more than 40 m, the system is predestined for large format plates. The CNC controlled laser processing system offers high part accuracy due to linear guides for longitudinal and transverse motion. The laser beam is guided in the transverse direction via moving mirrors with 100% beam path length compensation and thus ensures a consistently high processing quality over the entire operating area. The colour camera which is directed at the cutting head makes possible easy observation on the screen alongside the operating panel. Apart from vertical cuts, bevel cuts are possible and various marking options are available.	Class 1

Each of these specific models are designed and manufactured exclusively by Messer Cutting Systems.  Messer operates on 5 different continents and is always looking to expand.