Laser cutting (typically used for industrial manufacturing applications) allows faster and higher quality cuts than traditional cutting methods (torch or the like). Examples of applications in laser cutting are flat-sheet material and structural and piping materials. An assist gas, usually nitrogen or oxygen, is applied to make precision cuts to various applications.
While oxygen as an assist gas allows for much higher speeds of cutting and may be a more cost efficient solution for an assist gas in laser cutting, more often than not a brown scale is seen on cut edges which will require an additional step of de-scaling with a chemical before welding can commence. So is the extra step really worth the time and additional cost?
Today, most laser-cutting operations use nitrogen as an assist gas because the results produce a much cleaner, shiny and finished cut. Nitrogen requires a high purity level in the gas supply and must be operated at high pressure therefore increasing operational cost. How do you justify the higher operational cost – on -site nitrogen generation. Nitrogen generators, such as a PSA nitrogen generator use carbon molecular sieves to remove oxygen out of compressed air and keep a pure source of nitrogen available to assist with precision cuts for laser cutting industries.
So when it comes to high end, top quality products – consider nitrogen as your assist gas in your application as it may be the deciding factor on why your product was chosen over a competitor.
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