Laboratory Study on the Effect of CNC Plasma Cutting Process Parameters on Product Quality

Abstract

CNC Plasma Cutting Technology is one of the most important cutting techniques that are widely used  in the metal industries, due to its high ability to cut complex designs with great accuracy and low production cost. The quality of the products of this technology mainly depends on the rational control of the process parameters. In this study the effect of process parameters such as cutting speed, cutting current, and standoff distance on Kerf width and dross formation rate has been investigated using Taguchi method. The obtained results indicate that the cutting speed dominates both quality criteria with an impact rate of more than 57%, followed by cutting current which was around 12%, while the nozzle height showed very low impact on the quality criteria. Furthermore, the results of the conformation experiment indicate a high convergence between model and practical results in case of crack width and a lower level of congruence in case of the slag rate formation model due to narrow of testing levels.