Pipe cutting? it's easy if you do it smartly.  

Pipe cutting? it's easy if you do it smartly.  

There are numerous methods and technologies for cutting pipes and tubes. Choosing a perfect method requires an analysis of numerous factors. The common factors affecting the pipe cutting are pipe material, the squareness of ends, wall thickness, secondary process requirements, and end-conditioning. Moreover, there are also several indirect factors such as cutting efficiency, production volume, special requirements, and overhead costs. In that case, you must have a clear idea about different methods of pipe cutting to make an informative decision. Therefore, let us have a look at the numerous methods of pipe cutting: 

 

  1. Cold Cutting 

If you’re looking to cut thin-walled materials with a small diameter, high-precision cold cutting certainly fits the match. It’s great for materials that require a tight tolerance. In cold cutting, there is a circular saw that makes use of a wheel blade and cutting fluid. It also requires a mist lubricator to be applied to the material. Typically, a cold cutting unit can easily handle round solids of 2 inches and round tubes of 3.5 inches. However, if you’re looking for an effective cutting experience, you should never exceed the limit of 1.75 inches. 

In a cold saw, the steel blade is positioned in a fixed place and does not wander or walks. The type of cuts produced with cold cutting is perpendicular or square cuts with minimal burrs. Cold cutting can also be used with bundle-cut materials that require a squareness tolerance of 0.002 inches per diameter inch and length tolerance of +/- 0.004 inches. Moreover, as it's a cold cutting process, there is no formation of HAZ that acts as a great benefit for products that need a subsequent finishing. 

 

2.            Laser Cutting 

Although it requires a high capital cost, a laser cutting system allows you to enjoy a variety of capabilities and the advantages associated with it. Laser cutting can be easily controlled with automation equipment such as CNC in which a laser is operated to make cuts, inspect, deburr, and even pack materials too while running the laser continuously. The lasers emit a tremendous amount of heat energy concentrated at a single point in a very small area. This also produces narrow kerf widths, minimal HAZs, and tight tolerances. The distortion of cuts to the material is also very minimal and can also cut hard materials easily such as nickel alloys, stainless steel alloys, and titanium. However, you still need to coat the inside of the tubing with anti-spatter fluid.  

The laser works perfectly as a contouring tool as well. Moreover, you can even program it for a range of special requirements such as etching part numbers, cutting hard-to-reach areas, and making small holes with a diameter lesser than the thickness of your material. 

 

3.            Abrasive Cutting 

Abrasive cutting is a manual method of tube and pipe cutting in which you cut products to the length as per the specifications of your customers in any alloy. There’s a resin-composite wheel (dry or wet) or circular abrasive blade used in an abrasive saw to grind through the product and cut it. 

The capabilities of cutting size depend majorly on the machine. There are some abrasive machines that can even handle a solid roundup of 4 inches outside diameter. Moreover, as it is a general-purpose method, it is extremely useful for small product runs and hand-loading applications that don’t need any kind of critical end conditions. 

While it is fairly easier to operate and set up an abrasive saw, it’s not possible for them to make a tight tolerance or square cut. Furthermore, as the process makes use of burning or cutting action, it’s not fairly efficient for materials with thick walls. There are also chances of cumulation of heat-affected zones (HAZ) that might create problems in secondary processing. 

The major benefit of abrasive saws is that they are quick and inexpensive. However, it still requires a significant amount of heavy burr and kerf that you need to remove with the help of deburring. 

 

Bottom Line

Now when you know about the different methods of pipe cutting, you can easily make better purchase decisions based on your requirements and job. 

 

Content Sources :- ABSGroup

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