hi , how does everyone handle cutting thin stainless sheets, im having problems with sheet bowing as i cut , goes from nozzle to far away and bad cut quality to touching and clogging nozzle.
thanks
r brintle
GlassCannon said
Apr 28, 2014
This is a problem with any thin material as you will need to chase the head around with various weights and such. Putting more blades in helps but then it also creates more ares for the jet to deflect back up into the bottom of the material. We typically use foam insulation 1-1/2" thick when cutting this type of materials, it really helps prevent bottom damage. We use spent carbide blocks for weights and we generally wrap them in duct tape to prevent scratching. It takes a little busy work and knowing where the head will be going next to position the blocks properly to prevent any collisions with the nozzles. There are a couple companies that offer a whisker biscuit type cone that goes on over the nozzle to help decrease splash back and material buckle and they work somewhat but I dont like them due to not being able to see the nozzle tip standoff. If the tolerance allows you could also try cutting mutiple sheets deep. One other thing I have found that works well to minimize heat distortion is to hook a water hoze up near the nozzle, this keeps the piercing from developing alot of heat and keeps the material from buckling especially heat sensitive materials like aluminum.
Good luck
~GC~
TFabian said
May 4, 2014
You can get some sheet metal screws and screw it down onto some luan or 1/4" plywood. It will hold it more firm and won't make as much of a mess as the foam.
hi , how does everyone handle cutting thin stainless sheets, im having problems with sheet bowing as i cut , goes from nozzle to far away and bad cut quality to touching and clogging nozzle.
thanks
r brintle
This is a problem with any thin material as you will need to chase the head around with various weights and such. Putting more blades in helps but then it also creates more ares for the jet to deflect back up into the bottom of the material. We typically use foam insulation 1-1/2" thick when cutting this type of materials, it really helps prevent bottom damage. We use spent carbide blocks for weights and we generally wrap them in duct tape to prevent scratching. It takes a little busy work and knowing where the head will be going next to position the blocks properly to prevent any collisions with the nozzles. There are a couple companies that offer a whisker biscuit type cone that goes on over the nozzle to help decrease splash back and material buckle and they work somewhat but I dont like them due to not being able to see the nozzle tip standoff. If the tolerance allows you could also try cutting mutiple sheets deep. One other thing I have found that works well to minimize heat distortion is to hook a water hoze up near the nozzle, this keeps the piercing from developing alot of heat and keeps the material from buckling especially heat sensitive materials like aluminum.
Good luck
~GC~