Experimental Investigation of Plasma ARC Cutting for Stainless Steel Sheet

The Plasma arc machining process is the non conventional thermal process which is applicable to perform various operations such as cutting, welding, coating etc. In recent years, considerable experimental investigations have been carried out aiming at improving plasma cutting process performance. In this work, plasma cutting parameters on stainless steel 316L width 2 mm thickness were studied. The cut quality depends on appropriate selection process parameters and it was investigated. The parameters considered include plasma arc current, cutting speed and stand of distance. The effect of cutting parameter on the cut quality was further investigated by monitoring top kerf width, bottom kerf width and kerf taper using full factorial design and finally to find best optimum cutting parameters.