Where can I purchase the machine to flame cut flanges? What is it called?

 

search flame cutting machine. I have a Victor unit I bought back in the 70's. Even back then it was about a 2k machine. Mine uses templates. There are units that follow black lines against a white backround and then there are also the cnc version. If I were you I would try and find a laser shop in your area and work with them . You can have the holes done and the part is ready to work with. The bolt holes are very hard to do using a flame cutting process.


Modified by KFMRC at 2:09 AM 6/9/2006

 

with a cnc torch you should be able to cut pretty much any flange you would want but you can not cut holes under a 1/2 inch or so, if you have the money get a water-jet. no smoke and very accurate and fast, less running cost.

 

Flame cut flanges suck... the tolerances are really not good enough for a flange. Laser works wonders, and so does waterjet. However, you can't afford either of those types of machines... not judging, they are 100k+

 

I've got an abrasive waterjet and am awaiting delivery on a CNC plasma table. The running costs for plasma are significantly less.

Your best bet is to determine what the maximum dimension of material you're likely to work with on a regular basis and look into getting a CNC table in the appropriate size. Do the same when spec'ing out a plasma machine to go with it, and overspec as far as capacity goes - at least as much as you can afford to. There's a lot of options out there, including purchasing the components and building one yourself. Many of the offerings are easilly adaptable to flame cutting should you run across some heavy plate your plasma can't handle.

If you've got the time and skill to consider building your own, the cost savings vs. buying a turn key unit is considerable.