Plasma cutting vs. carbon arc gouging: Which is better, the cheaper, or the more accurate?

Plasma cutting vs. carbon arc gouging: Which is better, the cheaper, or the more accurate?

Plasma cutting and carbon arc gouging have their own advantages and disadvantages in terms of cost and precision. The following is a specific comparison:

Cost comparison

Equipment cost: Plasma cutting equipment is usually more complex than carbon arc gouging equipment, and the price is relatively high. Plasma cutting machines need to be equipped with plasma power supply, control system, cutting torch and other components, while carbon arc gouging equipment is mainly composed of power supply, gouging gun and compressed air system, etc., with a relatively simple structure and low cost.

Consumable cost: Plasma cutting consumables include electrodes, nozzles, protective covers, etc. These consumables will continue to wear out during use and need to be replaced regularly, and the cost is relatively high. Carbon arc gouging mainly consumes carbon rods and compressed air. The price of carbon rods is relatively cheap and the consumption rate is slow, so the overall consumable cost is relatively low.

Operation cost: Plasma cutting has a high power consumption during operation, and the consumption of working gas is also relatively large, so the operation cost is relatively high. Carbon arc gouging has relatively small power and low power consumption. The main operating cost lies in the consumption of compressed air, and the overall operating cost is relatively low.

Precision comparison

Cutting precision: Plasma cutting has high precision, can achieve smaller cutting gaps and higher cutting surface quality, and can cut more complex shapes and patterns. Generally speaking, the cutting precision of plasma cutting can be controlled between ±0.1mm - ±0.5mm. Carbon arc gouging is mainly used for cleaning, grooving and cutting thick plates on metal surfaces. Its cutting precision is relatively low, the cutting gap is wide, and the cutting surface quality is not as good as plasma cutting. It can usually only be used in occasions where precision is not required.

Heat-affected zone: The heat of plasma cutting is concentrated, the heat-affected zone is relatively small, and the deformation effect on the workpiece is small, which is conducive to maintaining the dimensional accuracy and performance of the workpiece. Carbon arc gouging will generate a lot of heat during the gouging process, and the heat-affected zone is large, which is easy to cause the workpiece to deform, especially when gouging thin plates, the deformation problem is more prominent, thus affecting the precision.

In summary, plasma cutting has obvious advantages in precision and is suitable for metal processing occasions with high precision requirements, but the cost is relatively high. Carbon arc gouging is low in cost and is suitable for work that does not require high precision and requires large-area metal removal or surface cleaning.