Gas-electric cutting

 Gas-electric cutting  — is a metal cutting process using electricity as the heating source, and subsequent melting is achieved by a gas jet. The surface is heated to the required temperature, at which the gas escaping from the nozzle readily ignites on the metal surface.

 Gas-electric cutting should be carried out remotely, as there are a number of reasons for this:

• compressed gases and hydrogen are used, they can form an explosive mixture;
• high voltage current is used, which is also unsafe,
• compressors and electrical machines that perform rotating movements are used;
• the effect of an arc, which produces heat and intense light radiation; harmful vapors and gases are released, as well as dangerous splashes of molten metal.

To ensure workplace safety, special dielectric safety mats are used to insulate from the ground and dielectric gloves are used. gas-electric cutting It's important to remember that cutting corners at high speeds results in process losses, which is undesirable because the contour of the cut part is distorted. Maximum speed is optimal for straight, continuous cutting. Reduced speed is necessary when cutting a closed contour, resulting in minimal lag and higher cutting quality.

Recently, some methods have become widespread gas-electric cutting of metal - These include air-arc, plasma-arc, and plasma cutting. These methods are quite promising and allow for the cutting of many metals and their alloys with high quality.

This cutting method uses low-temperature plasma, which is typically produced in an electric arc, hence the name arc plasma. The electric arc discharge serves as the source of thermal energy and is characterized by high current density and relatively low voltage. The arc temperature, generated from the gas, is 4000–5000°C.⁰C. Such a gas is usually called low-temperature plasma, since this gas contains a huge number of positively and negatively charged particles and their ratio is such that the total charge is zero.

Gas-electric metal cutting It is widely used due to its operational efficiency, as this type of cutting significantly saves cutting time, reduces labor force and improves the quality of the metal being processed.