Diseño y construcción de un equipo para corte de planchas con plasma operado por computador

Abstract

The use of plasma torches represents a versatile alternative for metal cutting because it facilitates the processing of pieces of a variety of dimensions and thicknesses. These pieces have to be made of electrically conductive materials, due to the fact that they are part of the system circuit. This work is related to the design and construction of a computer operated table prototype that can be used to cut steel plates using a plasma torch. The selection of the parts used for the machine is analyzed with the weighted matrix method. The criteria considered include the following factors: economic factors, maintenance, noise, mechanical efficiency, among others. The systems that compose the equipment are the following: transmission movement in three axes, guiding, driving and controlling, lifting and supporting. The parameter that determines the final cost of the project is the cost of the three motors required, which can be stepper motors or servomotors. In this case, stepper motors were used because of their lower cost. If servomotors are used, it must be verified that the encoder resolution is compatible or reachable with the working speed of the nucleus or computer processor. The analysis of the loads and stresses induced in the mechanical components was performed using SolidWorks 2013, which uses the finite element method for the analysis. SAP2000 was used for the structural analysis. The equipment control and user interface was prepared using MACH3, which interprets the numerical control codes. The dimensional capacity of the cutting prototype is 2440 mm by 1220 mm with thicknesses between 4 and 35 mm. The speed range goes from 8 to 130 mm/s for diameters and notches greater than 60 mm and 5 mm, respectively.