Essential Maintenance Measures for The Longevity of Your Power Cutting Equipment
Power cutting equipment is necessary for any industrial business that warrants the cutting of metal supplies during the fabrication process. From rebar cutters to power hammers, investing in these tools will go a long way in providing your metal fabrication processes with speed and accuracy, both of which will help towards keeping a profitable bottom line. Nonetheless, power cutting tools can be incredibly expensive to source.
Hence, if you have invested a considerable amount of capital in acquiring these tools, you must be stringent about their upkeep so that they can serve you for the extent of their lifecycle. Not to mention that the more durable your power cutting equipment, the less money you will spend on replacing the tools. To help determine which strategies you should have in place, here are some of the essential maintenance measures for the longevity of your power cutting equipment.
Control the amount of heat the power cutting equipment is exposed to
Due to the friction that occurs during metal cutting processes, a substantial amount of heat is generated. Although this heat generation is unavoidable as long as you are creating contact between two different metallic supplies, you must try your best to control the amount of heat the cutting equipment is exposed to or your tools will end up degrading much faster than normal. The faster the cutting edges wear out, the more frequently you need to pay for repairs and this will eat into your bottom line.
Fortunately, you can prevent this premature damage by being rigid about the use of anti-friction agents in the form of lubricants. Lubrications such as mineral oils, soluble oils and more all work to keep friction at a minimum when utilising power cutting equipment. This, in turn, limits the degree of wear with each use.
Apply a protective coating on the inserts of the power cutting equipment
When thinking about the types of power cutting equipment that are necessary for your metal fabrication needs, you should consider investing in coatings that will protect the carbide inserts of these select tools. These coatings work in varying capacities such as increasing the chemical resistance of the power cutting equipment, providing a degree of heat protection, minimising friction and so on. There are two main coatings utilised in industrial applications.
Chemical vapour deposition, usually abbreviated to CVD, are viscous coatings and this makes them ideal for providing heat protection to the carbide inserts in your power cutting tools. Physical vapour deposition (PVD) coatings, on the other hand, have a watery consistency and are better suited for applying on the sharp edges of your power cutting equipment.