Welding Tips and Tricks

I need to get some part cut of 316 stainless and I dont want to have any corrosion issues in the long run, its for a marine salt water application, My gut tells me go laser but plasma cnc is probably more accessible. anybody have any experinance with 316?

Correct me if I'm wrong but if you buff all cut edges back to shiny metal, you shouldn't have a problem with either. Due to the self protecting nature of SS.

MICK

Ill ask the guys at work, we have both laser and plasma cutters here

Drifta-X wrote:Ill ask the guys at work, we have both laser and plasma cutters here

Cool, thanks

Dave wrote:I need to get some part cut of 316 stainless and I dont want to have any corrosion issues in the long run, its for a marine salt water application, My gut tells me go laser but plasma cnc is probably more accessible. anybody have any experinance with 316?

Google " Passivation of Stainless Steel welds "

you'll need to do this to the entire part , try citric acid

A company by that makes radar mounts has them cut with laser and uses nitrogen gas

Depending on the accuracy laser is better but the high def plasma are really good also, but the machines are really only as good as the operator

Any idea of what the part looks like? I run HD plasma every day.... I just got back from Chicago looking at lasers... the things that make laser expensive on SS is the thickness how thick are you going? if you are .135 or under I would do it on laser and not even think twice about it.... if the part is thicker than .5"..... you will be paying out the wazoo for it because that would require a 6kw machine to run not a standard 4kw. and the nitrogen usage would be well over 47 CFM. More information is need to determine really.

I use to operate the Cincinnati CL-7 laser center at my previous job. A 1200 watt DC with 1500 watt heat ex-changers.It would clean cut .135 stainless steel (10ga) with no problem at 60 ipm. 14 ga cuts like butter. All nitrogen cut. i could cut .375 but had to use oxygen...but left the ugly oxidized edge. A grinder could take care of that. And then pasovate if you wish. The thicker stainless 1.00 and thicker we had cut with water jet. You loose just a few thousands in tolerance but if it is not critical then water jet might be an option

Happy New Year

Really depends on thickness.... anything 1/2" and under a laser will be the best cut..... but HD plasma should be good as long as they are running the machine right!!! if they add oxygen it will actually oxidize the stainless and can rust this can also be said about laser if they are on an under powered machine they will cut with oxygen and it will make the edge black/brown. If you are paying for the 316 or 316L use a laser if at all possible. 3.5-4 KW laser will blast it 1/2" down and look the best on "clean cut" about 34 cfm of nitrogen its expensive to have stainless cut right!!!!

I don't know about which as far as corrosion but if it's not too thick I know water jet can cut stainless on my Avatar is a 17" stainless custom wind vane I made and mounted it on top of my house it sits 40' in the air in all types of weather 24/7-365 I haven't noticed any of the shiney fading yet and it's been up there 5 years....it was water jet cut by a local company off of a design I drew... Don't know if that may be a solution for ya.

Water jet will not have corrosion issues because its cut with abrasives and water instead of a gas mix. But because of speed will be a fair amount more expensive.