What is Precision Cutting?

Precision cutting is a vital aspect of sheet metal fabrication and customization services, an aspect that can have a large effect on the overall success of a project. With that being said, it is important that you have a basic understanding of what precision cutting means and which type will work best for your specific project. We at Formwell Industries are the ones to come to for help with that!

Prior to the development of precision cutting, the metal fabrication industry was forced to rely on handheld devices such as hand shears and large mechanical hand-operated steel shears. These manual tools obviously required much more effort and thus were less efficient than the technology we use in the industry today.

Let’s take a look at what precision cutting is, what methods are most commonly used, and how it could benefit your business:

A Leap in Technology

As we mentioned, cutting metal products was often a very inefficient process prior to the technological advancements of precision cutting. Now various methods of precision cutting are used to ensure that large quantities may be cut in the most precise, efficient, and uniform manner possible.

The technology used in precision cutting today utilizes the latest CAD software to create, modify, analyze, and optimize a custom design. The information provided by this software is then used to communicate with the tools used to cut raw metal products to ensure that large orders will be produced both accurately and uniformly.

Methods of Precision Cutting

There are several different methods and tools used to achieve accurate precision cutting. It is absolutely imperative to the success of a project that the correct method for any given project is utilized.

A few of the most common precision cutting methods include the following:

• Punching—A shearing force is used to create the desired shape in a sheet of metal.
• Laser—A focused beam is used to cut more intricate designs in sheet metal.
• Plasma—An accelerated jet of hot plasma is used to create clean and even cuts.
• Waterjet—A focused jet of water cuts metal with high velocity and pressure.

At Formwell Industries, we specialize in waterjet precision cutting. Using our Flow Water Jet cutting machine, we are able to cut through stone, wood, metal, and plastics. This method has many advantages, including that it requires very little preparation of the material to be cut.

Why We Recommend Water Jet Cutting

Water jet cutting leaves little to no residue; whereas, laser and plasma cutting leave residue behind. Water jet cutting is a cold-cutting process, which is a benefit because heat can negatively affect the structure and properties of metal alloys. On the other hand, water jet cutting is high-speed erosion, which does not affect the structure and allows for many layers to be cut simultaneously.

The waterjet is powerful, fast, and can cut through very thick material. Materials that may be cut using a waterjet include:

• Aluminum
• Bronze
• Copper
• Stainless Steel
• Titanium
• Tungsten

An Increasingly Popular Solution

Although it involves relatively new technology, precision cutting is utilized across many industries, including aerospace, agriculture, construction, military defense, and mining. In fact, the market for laser cutting machines is expected to grow to $5.7 billion by 2022.

What does this mean for your business? This technology will continue to become even more diverse and efficient in the coming years! Precision cutting services can provide your business with large quantities of custom-designed metal fabrication products with efficiency and accuracy. Formwell Industries is here to guide you through this process.

Contact your local fabricator, Formwell Industries, today to talk about your next metalwork project.