Laser and Plasma Cutting Services

Custom Shapes and Designs With Cutting

When it comes to your metal cuts, precision matters. That's why we now offer plasma and laser cutting options at Flexx Welding & Fabrication. We can make your projects more accurate than ever!

These fabrication processes are very similar, and they are used to cut your material in custom shapes with complex designs. With laser cutting, this is done with a high-powered laser. Plasma cutting uses an ionized gas that has been superheated. This allows the metal to be cut quickly and with uncanny precision.

The only drawback is that the process produces a fine dust. To combat this issue, we use a dust collection system to keep your project and our workers safe at Flexx Welding & Fabrication. As a result, you can get precise cuts for custom projects easier than ever.

Is laser cutting right for your project? Can your project benefit from plasma cutting? Let's talk about it! Call Flexx Welding & Fabrication today and ask for a free consultation. We provide custom engineering layouts for your projects to help you get started.

Understanding Plasma and Laser Cutting

When considering laser cutting and plasma cutting, it's important to understand their difference. While similar, these processes do have some distinct differences that are worth nothing.

First, the cutting mechanism is different. Plasma requires a gas, but lasers use focused optical light. Because of this, there are more safety considerations during plasma cutting. Moreover, plasma cutting is only viable for metal, but laser cutting can be used for more materials. In general, laser cutting is more precise and versatile, but it's also more expensive.

The difference in quality stems from the cut-edge quality. The kerf width is the width of the material being removed during cutting. Plasma cutting has a larger kerf width, so it uses more material and creates smaller parts. It can also have more pierce spatter, which means there may be more debris. With laser cutting, you get square edges instead of bevel edges, and there is less debris and pierce spatter.

Next, consider the speed. Plasma cutting moves about 200 inches per minute. Lasers, by contrast, are slower. They only cut about 70 inches per minute. This rate is even slower with thicker materials. Heat distortion may also be an issue. Both processes can cause distortion, but laser cutting has higher precision and tighter tolerances.

Overall, plasma cutting has a kerf width of 0.15 inches with a size tolerance of plus/minus 0.02. Laser cutting has a kerf width of 0.025 inches and a tolerance of plus/minus 0.005 inches.

These differences may seem dramatic when spelled out, but both methods are excellent options. You can use either one to complete your project with Flexx Welding & Fabrication. Talk to us today about the options, and we'll get you an estimate in just a few business days.

Choose a Family-Owned Machine Shop

Flexx Welding & Fabrication is a local, family-owned business, and we've been serving you in Albertville, AL since 2014. Our team has over 20 years of experience, and our shop has everything you need for industrial, commercial, and residential metal projects.

We use top-of-the-line equipment like a hydraulic press to make sure we deliver quality results. When your project is done, you can also get it delivered. We guarantee your satisfaction 100% on every job!

Call (256) 286-4016 today! If we miss your call, don't worry! We reply to all inquiries by the next business day.