2D cutting
High-quality 2D cutting using plasma, oxyfuel, laser or waterjet cutting – whether for sheet metal, pipes, profiles or domes
2D cutting in the field of metalworking uses plasma, oxyfuel, laser or waterjet technology to cut any contours and holes from a sheet, pipe or profile, for example. Depending on the cutting process, cuts can be made from any type of metal – such as mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum or titanium.
The processes are used in almost all areas of the metalworking industry – for example in steel centers and shipyards or in the automotive and aviation sectors. In short: wherever metal has to be cut to size or components have to be cut out of metal.
There are virtually no limits to the variety of shapes: even extremely complex components with intricate contours can be cut from the sheet in one piece using modern 2D cutting processes and can then be further processed.
In addition to thermal cutting processes such as plasma, laser and oxyfuel cutting, there is also waterjet cutting. What almost all modern cutting systems in the 2D cutting sector have in common is that they are designed as gantry machines (similar to an oversized gantry "plotter"). What's more, today's systems work with multifunctional CNC controls. The basis for the cutting process is a digital drawing of the component to be produced (CAD drawing), which is transferred to a programming system (CAM system). A so-called "nesting plan" is created manually or automatically in this programming system. This describes the arrangement of the components to be cut out on the sheet metal to be processed. In the program, the defined components are supplemented with further technology specifications such as "inner contour/outer contour", "clockwise or anti-clockwise cut". The final nesting plan is then transferred to the respective machine control system, which starts the cutting process on this basis.
Today, MicroStep is considered world market leader in the field of automated plasma cutting technology. This is not least due to the fact that MicroStep cutting systems are able to combine state-of-the-art technologies and processes. Depending on the machine type, MicroStep cutting systems can perform the following applications in addition to 2D cutting: 3D processing of sheet metal, pipes, profiles and domes, for example for weld seam preparation. As well as drilling, countersinking, tapping, marking and punching.