Mild Steel Cutting Machine

What is Mild Steel?

Firstly we have to know carbon steel, carbon steel generally can be divided into 3 categories:

1. Low carbon steel (C: ≤ 0.25%), also referred to as mild steel, is readily susceptible to various processing methods such as forging, welding, and cutting. It is frequently employed in the manufacturing of chains, rivets, bolts, shafts, etc.

2. Medium carbon steel (C: 0.25% < C ≤ 0.6%) encompasses killed steel, semi-killed steel, boiling steel, and other products. Besides carbon, it may also contain a small quantity of manganese (0.70% - 1.20%). Based on product quality, it is classified into ordinary carbon structural steel and high-quality carbon structural steel. Its hot working and cutting performance is favorable, yet its welding performance is inadequate. The strength and hardness are higher than those of low carbon steel, while the toughness are lower than those of low carbon steel. Both hot-rolled and cold-drawn materials can be directly utilized without heat treatment, and can also be employed after heat treatment. Medium carbon steel subjected to quenching and tempering exhibits excellent comprehensive mechanical properties. The maximum achievable hardness is approximately HB538, and the tensile strength σb ranges from 600 to 1100 MPa. Hence, among the various applications at the medium strength level, medium carbon steel is the most extensively utilized. Besides serving as a construction material, it is also extensively employed in the manufacturing of various mechanical components.

3. High carbon steel (C: > 0.6%) is often dubbed tool steel, with a carbon content ranging from greater than 0.60% to 1.70%, and can undergo hardening and tempering. Hammers, crowbars, etc. are fabricated from steel with a carbon content of 0.75%; cutting tools such as drills, taps, reamers, etc. are manufactured from steel with a carbon content of 0.90% to 1.00%.

The higher the carbon content, the greater the hardness and strength.

Between above carbon steel, Low carbon steel is referred to (called) as mild steel.

What are the best CNC cutting ways of mild steel?

Different CNC cutting methods might be used depending on certain aspects of the mild steel being cut and the tolerance or required precision of the cuts being made. There are four primary methods used today are:

• Laser CNC Cutting
• Waterjet CNC Cutting
• Plasma CNC Cutting
• Flame CNC Cutting

• Laser CNC Cutting

Typically employed for thinner steel (less than 1.25 inches), laser CNC cutting is highly accurate and minimizes material loss. It uses an intense beam of light focused by mirrors in the head of the laser cutter to direct the extreme heat at the steel and melt it along predetermined cutting paths. However, laser cutting is also slower than some of the other cutting methods and can heat the surrounding area of the cut, leading to warping or thermal stress. The biggest barrier of speading in market is laser cnc cutting machine is expensive and comlex.

Waterjet CNC Cutting

As its name suggests, waterjet CNC cutting uses high-pressure water (or a mixture of water and an abrasive substance, such as garnet or aluminum oxide) to erode and cut away steel quickly. Unlike laser cutting, there is no heat distortion from this method and it can cut thicker pieces of steel, up to 8 inches. Because of this, waterjet cutting is also the most expensive type of steel cutting due to its versatility, accuracy, and expensive operating costs. Obviously because mild steel normally is low value and easy to be oxidized, evenif waterjet CNC cutting can cut mild steel, but not good way.

Plasma CNC Cutting

Plasma CNC cutting uses an electric arc that passes through the conductive plasma to melt the steel. The high-pressure gas from the nozzle then cuts through the molten steel and blows it away, cutting the workpiece. This method is quick, but is usually limited by a thickness of around 1.5 inches (2.5 inches for CNC plasma cutters) and can have a lower-quality cutting edge than laser CNC cutting.

Flame CNC Cutting

Also called oxy-fuel CNC cutting, flame CNC cutting steel often involves preheating the piece around the area that's going to be cut. A CNC torch is then used to combine oxygen and fuel gasses (acetylene, propane, propylene, etc.) to oxidize and melt the metal away, cutting through large steel products. While flame CNC cutting is slower than plasma and laser cutting due to the preheating process, but it can cut through steel as thick as 48 inches which laser CNC cutting and plasma CNC cutting can not reach. Flame CNC cutting can also be less finely tuned than other methods - but at these thickness sizes, and the accuracy and tolerances are much less delicate and strict. Most of the mild steel cutting that we perform is flame CNC cutting.

During above CNC cutting ways of mild steel, we Hubei Meisar CNC can manufactures 

• Laser CNC Cutting machines, Plasma CNC Cutting machines, Flame CNC Cutting machines.

And the most ecomical one is our portable type CNC plasma and flame cutting machine MS-P:

Mild steel cutting machine of portable plasma and flame CNC cutting machine MS-P

Grades and application of carbon steel:

Except for simple carbon steel catagories, do you know what is the applications of carbon steel:

1. Ordinary carbon structural steel: carbon structural steel is divided into 5 grades according to the yield strength of steel: Q195, Q215, Q235, Q255, Q275. Each grade is divided into A, B, C, D grades due to different quality, Q195, Q215, Q235 forming is good, can be rolled into steel plate, steel bar, steel pipe and so on; Q255, Q275 can be rolled into steel, steel plate, etc.

2.High-quality carbon structural steel: steel number to the average mass of carbon tens of thousands of points. Such as 20 #, 45 #, etc. 20 # means containing C: 0.20% (20 parts per 10,000). Usage: Mainly used for manufacturing various machine parts.

3. Carbon tool steel: Steel number is expressed by the average mass fraction of carbon, and is preceded by T. Such as T9, T12, etc. T9 means containing C: 0.9% (9 parts per thousand). Usage: Mainly used in manufacturing various cutting tools, measuring tools, molds and so on.

4. Cast steel: The cast steel grade is crowned with ZG in front of the number, and the number represents the average quality fraction in the steel (expressed in tens of thousands of points). For example, ZG25, the value contains 0.25% C. Uses: Mainly used in the manufacture of complex shapes and require a certain strength, forming and toughness of parts, such as gears, couplings, etc.

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