Building with Metal – Plasma cutting
Messer Cutting Systems sent me a nice infographic with some of the key areas that use plasma cutting, ship building, automotive and transportation, and metal art. I did know that plasma cutting is popular with metal artists as it is a quick way to cut complex shapes but I was a little surprised to see that it was a significant market.
The U.S. art industry offers 14 programs for Metal Arts, eight exclusive galleries for artists who use metal, and 30 museums that are dedicated to or feature metal artwork.
Plasma cutting works by heating the metal with an electric arc, similar to TIG welding, but then a strong blast of air from a compressor pushes the molten metal out of the way forming a clean cut. Particularly in the USA it’s commonly used with a CNC machine to rapidly cut complex shapes with a minimum of wastage. That combination means that a designer can rapidly produce many parts which can be used stand-alone or joined back together with welding.
Visit Plasma Cutting Pros to learn more.
I do like infographics so thanks again to Scott from Messer Cutting Systems for sending that in, and if you have your own inforgraphics please share them via the contact form above.
Metal sculpture in brass, mounted on an 1800s French Coin
