Study on Ceramic Cutting by Plasma Arc

摘要

To reduce the kerf width and to improve the kerf quality, the hydro-magnetically confined plasma arcrnwas used to cut engineering ceramic plates. By experiments and analyses, the characteristics of hydro-magneticrnconfined plasma arc were discussed and the effects of secondary confinement on cutting quality, arc properties,rnand optimal process parameters were presented. By using the new method, we achieved better cutting quality andrnhigher cutting speeds. Also, the possibility to lower the heat load of the nozzle and thus enhance its service lifernand process stability was studied. When the nozzle diameter is 3 mm, the kerf width of the Al_2O_3 ceramic plate ofrn6 mm thickness is less than 4.6 mm, while the cutting speed reaches to 0.9-1.2 m/min.