Slovak University of Technology

Faculty of Material Science and Technology in Trnava

Machine Tools And

Devices For Special
Technologies
Plasma machining
Processing by plasma
 Plasma is considering like fourth state of substance,

 Plasma is high ionised gas:

 Free electrons,
 Positive electrons,
 Neutral atoms,

 Plasma is electric conductive:

 Partly
ionised (10 – 15 000 °C),
 Completely ionised (around 100 000°C)
Properties of plasma
 Electric conductivity,

 Final electric charge = 0,

 Movement of elements is possible to directed by

magnetic field,

 Plasma is possible to stop by magnetic „wall“

possible to cover in magnetic container
Becoming of plasma
 Nuclear reaction,

 Electron beam

 Electric charbe.

In technical praxis has meaning only plasma

originated by electric charge.
Plasma origin
 Voltage between electrodes – ionisation of gas
between electrodes – electric charge,

 Charge can:
 Turnoff,
 Glow discharge,
 Permanent arc discharge

We need permanent arc discharge.

Permanent arc discharge
Arc discharge is needed to stabilise by cooling.

Stabilisation:
 By shape of jet of plasma burner,
 By flowing gas,
 By water,

In intensity cooling is diameter of arc smaller and his

temperature is higher.
Temperature of plasma arc
Temperature depend on using plasma gas.

 nitride – round 7 000 °C

 helium – round 20 000 °C

Sing of plasma for metal
processing
 cutting,
 welding,
 Coating of surface layers,
 Hard surfacing,
 Machining.
Cutting by plasma
Cutted metal is melted by high temperature of
plasma arc and is blowing out by plasma gas.

Plasma is created:
 Water,

 Mixture of gases (most often Ar, H2),

 Mixture water and gas

Plasma cutting – stability of
plasma beam
Stability of plasma beam is
achieved by stabilisation
gas.
Depended arc – cut
material is anode. It
secure asked stability in
small flash of gas too.
Plasma cutting – materials
Aluminium – soft cutting of surface, stabilisation by
water, thickness of cutting till 100 mm.
Copper – cutting is difficult, with thickness above
25 mm the material is taking up to the bottom
part.
Austenitic steels – soft cutting surface, thickness
till 100 mm.
Beams of plates – needed is to strong constringe
because they are welded.
Deposition of surface layers by
plasma
Material is heated
fast and partially is
melted.
By high speed
(above 200 m/sec)
is shed to support.
Here is used
independence arc.
Deposition of surface layers by
plasma
These coats increased resistance of base material
against:

 High temperatures,
 Oxidation and corrosion in high temperatures too,
 Thermal fatigue,
 Mechanical wear by erosion and abrasion.
Deposition of surface layers by
plasma
Size of the powder grain is necessary to adapt to
power of burner. Big grains are not melted and
small can steamed.
High temperature of plasma aided these chemical
reactions:
 oxidation – safety by inert gas,
 reduction – safety by inert gas,
 Thermal reduction – short staying in burner,
high speed of plasma flow.
Deposition of surface layers by
plasma
Sprayed coat is porous. Porous can be till
15%, size of poruses 20 – 200 μm.

Melted elements gain spherical shape.

When they are more melted and when the
speed of their impact is higher then the
structure of coat is denser.
Deposition of surface layers by
plasma
Adhesion is decreased with thickness of coating.

The layers are thick 0,1 till 2 mm.

In thick coatings is several layers – increased inside

strain, layers leafing.
Plasma welding
 High stabile welding process,
 Fine forming of weld, mainly weld root,
 Welding without supporting of weld root till 10 mm
of thickness,
 It is not become blowing out of welding pool,
 Jet has very small section,
 Only 10 – 30% of plasma gas is plasma, remainder
stabilised and positioning arc,
 Arc is burning by high frequency
Plasma welding
Plasma gas is mixture Ar + H2, Ar + He, or clean Ar.
Safety gas is usually Ar.

Advantages:
 Simply preparation of connection,
 Good formation of weld,
 Possibility of process mechanisation,
 High productivity.
Plasma welding
Plasma welding is used for:
 Connecting of plates with small and medium
thicknesses – one layer weld (steel plates to 6
mm, without adjusting of rims),
 Welding of chrome-nickel steels,
 Welding of Ti and his alloys,
 Welding of copper and her alloys,
 Welding of aluminium and his alloys,
 Welding of nickel and his alloys,
 Micro plasma welding – thin plates and wires
Plasma hard surfacing
Powder additional (hard surfacing) material – is not
possible to do the wire of these material.
Temperature of plasma arc till to 30 000K.
Output speed of plasma gas more than 1000 m/sec.
Base material is melted and become metallurgic
mixturing with liquid additional material.
Is needed to use preheating of the base material.
Plasma hard surfacing
Plasma hard surfacing – MIG

Additional material is a wire that is one

electrode and next is second (W, Cu)
cooling electrode.

Arc burning between electrodes melting hard

surfacing additional material.
Plasma machining
Machined material is melted and evaporated.
Plasma gas is N2, H2, Ar, air and their
mixture.
Thermal inluenced area under 1 mm.
Surface quality and accuracy answered like
roughing.
It is used for hard machining steels, coppers,
aluminium and etc.
Plasma machining
High rate of removing (10 x more than in
classical machining of heat-resisting steels).

Here is originated smoke, dust, UV emission

– cutting under the water.
Machining by straight plasma
beam
Machining by additional plasma
beam
Devices for plasma beam
processing
Devices have next main parts:

 Source of electric energy – insuring the electric

energy for burning of arc,
 High frequency ionisator – burn on the arc,
 Direct box – directed all process,
 Plasma burner,
 Container of plasma gases – get to burner the
plasma gas.
Plasma burner
Plasma burner is cooling by cooling liquid (water),
jet must by strip the insulation from other parts.

Function of burner:
 Input of electricity to electrode,
 Input of plasma, focusation and safety gas,
 Shaping and directing of arc,
 Positioning of electrodes.
Plasma burner
Construction of plasma burners:
 With gas stabilisation,
 With jetting of water.

Part where is the plasma originated - plasmatron.

Dividing of plasmatrons:
 transfer (with transport of arc),
 notransfer (without transport of arc),
 combinated
Burner with gas stabilisation
Burner with water jetting
No transfer and transfer
plasmatron
Plasma hard surfacing automat
Plasma cutting machine tool
Plasma cutting machine tool
Plasma cutting machine tool