HD Plasma Cutting vs. Hydraulic Cutting: Pros and Cons

The metal forming industry of Houston has seen several major developments in the last few decades. One of these developments is related to metal plate cutting methods with laser and hydraulic cutting entering the Houston market. This has led many businesses to ask the question, is Hydraulic cutting better than HD plasma cutting?

So, let us take a look at both HD plasma cutting and Hydraulic cutting to determine which is the better metal cutting method in Houston.

HD Plasma Cutting

Highly Versatile

HD plasma cutting is a highly versatile form of metal cutting method that can be used on several types of metals. In addition to being highly suitable for several metal types, it is also capable of making deeper cuts than most other forms of metal plate cutting methods in Houston. This versatility helps to reduce the search for different metal cutting services.

Fast Cutting Speeds

When it comes to fast cutting speeds, only a few metal-cutting methods can match up to HD plasma cutting. Being an upgraded version of normal plasma cutting, which is already a fast metal-cutting method, HD plasma cutting is among the fastest metal-cutting methods in Houston. 

Faster cutting speeds make HD plasma cutting ideal for urgent projects that require fast processing of their metal plates.

Hydraulic Cutting

Minimal Waste Production

Hydraulic cutting machines produce a lot less waste during metal plate cutting. Reduced metal waste results in better quality cuts in the metal plate and less chance of causing unintentional damage to the metal plates.

Affordable Cutting Method

The costs associated with the use of Hydraulic cutting method are much less compared to its competitors. This makes it ideal for small Houston businesses that wish to complete their projects on a budget.

Limited Cut Variety

Unlike Hydraulic cutter machines, HD plasma machines can be used to cut metal plates in any shape. Hydraulic cutting is only effective in scenarios where the cuts on a metal plate must be straight. 

It is much more difficult to cut curves and other complex shapes with Hydraulic cutter machines. This severely limits its viability for projects that need to make complex-shaped cuts on their metal plates.

Not Applicable for Every Project

Hydraulic metal cutting is incapable of making cuts in any metal sheet that exceeds 20mm in thickness. It is also not a good choice for several metal types that are vulnerable to rusting or are too hard for the machine to cut. Other metal cutting methods, such as HD plasma cutting, do not have such limitations.

Which is the Right Choice?

The answer depends on your project requirements. However, for most businesses, HD plasma cutting is going to be the better metal cutting method than hydraulic metal cutting.

So, if you require HD plasma cutting services in Houston, contact Apache Steel Works today.

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