What Makes a Quality Metal Cut?
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Quality is the cornerstone of metal-cut parts. Whether talking about the blades of a snowmobile or the widgets inside a machine, the wide variety of applications each finished product might serve necessitates an effective cut every time.
That commitment remains true no matter the cutting technique, whether plasma, oxy-fuel, waterjet, or laser. Incomplete cuts can typically be cleaned up, but knowing the signs of quality is essential. Moreover, understanding what expert-level metal cutting looks like highlights the importance of metal fabrication workers at every level at Ryerson.
Here’s what our experts look for in every fabricated part we produce.
How to Assess a Quality Cut
When metal is cut, the void created by the process is known as kerf. Accounting for kerf is the responsibility of the fabricator. It can be affected by the thickness of the material, the tools and machines used in the process, and the cutting method.
Understanding what expert-level metal cutting looks like highlights the importance of metal fabrication workers at every level.For instance, the high temperature and precision of plasma cutting can offer a high-quality cut, but that outcome isn’t guaranteed without quality control expertise.
“Plasma spins like a mini tornado, and you can see that shape in the kerf,” says James Porter, general manager with Ryerson Advanced Processing. “You should expect a little angle, but you shouldn’t have a kerf on the top and the bottom. That irregular bevel signals that something’s gone wrong.”
Errors in the process can enormously impact the machine, including a failed nozzle or torch to a misalignment between electrode and nozzle. Issues with the speed of the machine can also cause excessive beveling, meaning the cut isn’t as straight as it needs to be.
These cutting errors can delay manufacturing times and represent an additional cost to fix. It’s why Ryerson has developed an industry-leading quality control process that ensures continuity throughout fabrication.
Ryerson’s Quality Process
Ensuring a high-quality cut while maintaining operational speed is challenging and comes down to time and talent. Our Ryerson team members have the skill and knowledge needed to avoid common errors in fabrication, achieving a higher quality cut with greater accuracy and resilience.
That quality commitment is paramount at every stage of the metal fabrication process. It starts at the mill, where raw materials are first shaped into products. The metal’s properties are verified through a certification test report, which the mill provides to Ryerson for review, allowing us to ensure materials meet our standards from step one.
Quality checks continue at the programmer level, where each machine program is created, entered, and checked before entering production. Ryerson’s programming specialists help eliminate potential issues in machine operation before fabrication begins.
Once on the production floor, the machine operator performs additional quality checks. They review the processing instruction sheet and confirm that the correct program is loaded for the correct part, helping to avoid the kerf and beveling issues mentioned earlier.
Our metal fabricators use several measuring tools in the cutting process. A caliper can measure within 1/1000th of an inch, or a digital protractor measures within 1/10th of a degree.
Larger parts, especially those with curves, are best suited to our laser scanners. 2D laser scanners verify flat parts with speed and accuracy, while newer 3D scanners can capture the complete surface of the part. The computer software compares the surface of the actual part to the ‘perfect’ 3D part. This happens before the final quality checks that precede the assembly line.
Why Quality Matters
This end-to-end quality assurance process makes it easier for Ryerson customers to know their product meets their expected standards. It’s part of the reputation Ryerson has built over the past 180+ years of metal expertise.
"Our parts end up in everything from golf carts and snowmobiles to large agricultural and earth moving equipment. Every part must meet its quality standard, just like every step of the quality control process matters."
Tim Driver, Ryerson Advanced Processing
Yet quality isn’t just essential for the continued success of our team members and customers. Tim Driver, supply chain manager with Ryerson Advanced Processing, explains, “Our parts end up in everything from golf carts and snowmobiles to large agricultural and earth moving equipment. Every part must meet its quality standard, just like every step of the quality control process matters.”
That process sets the stage for clean metal cutting at every Ryerson facility. When parts are packaged, arranged, and counted per customer requirements, each metal part has been checked and rechecked to ensure it meets Ryerson’s highest quality expectations.
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