Oxygen Cutting Carbon SteelThe oxygen cutting process is very versatile and useful for fabrication steel. It can be carried out either manually or incorporated into an automatic cutting machine. The choice of which to variant to use will depend on a number of factors including the number of components to be cut, location of where the cutting is to take place, the per item cost the component to be cut and the level capital investment available for equipment. The process is capable of being used to cut sheet thicknesses, to components over 2 metres thick. In the oxygen cutting process two distinctly different actions are used together to create the cut. In the first a pre-heat flame consisting of a fuel gas and oxygen are burned together and used to raise the temperature of the steel up to its ignition point, about 870 to 900°C. At this point a jet of pure oxygen gas is added from the central hole in the nozzle and this reacts with the iron in the steel to create an exothermic reaction where further heat is generated melting the steel. The jet of oxygen also blows away from the cut the iron oxide or slag creating a clean cut surface.
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