The Role of Nitrogen Generators in Laser Cutting and Metal Processing

Nitrogen is inert in nature. With its intern nature, it plays significant role in laser cutting and metal processing by providing enhanced cutting efficiency, improved quality and overall reduction in operation cost.

Laser Cutting with Nitrogen –

In laser cutting, nitrogen is often used as an assist gas to improve the cutting process, especially for materials like mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. It has several important functions:

a) Inert Gas for Cutting and Cooling:

Nitrogen prevents oxidation of the material being cut, especially in stainless steel and aluminum. When cutting these materials with laser, the high temperature could cause oxidation (rust) on the cut edges, degrading the quality of the final product. Nitrogen, being inert, prevents such oxidation by displacing oxygen in the cutting zone, leading to a cleaner, oxidation-free edge.

It also acts as a cooling medium, helping to reduce the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and preventing thermal damage to the material during the laser cutting process.

b) Enhanced Cutting Speed and Quality:

Nitrogen helps to increase the cutting speed by providing a high-pressure flow of gas that assists in blowing away the molten material from the cut. This minimizes the chance of re-melting and ensures faster cutting times.

The use of nitrogen as an assist gas results in smooth, clean edges with minimal burr formation. It also reduces the need for secondary finishing operations, such as deburring or polishing.

c) Laser Power and Efficiency:

In laser cutting of thicker materials, nitrogen provides additional benefits by enabling higher laser power to be used efficiently, resulting in faster cutting speeds and better energy utilization.

d) Prevention of Heat Deformation:

By maintaining a stable, inert environment, nitrogen reduces the risk of warping or distortion of the material during the cutting process, especially for high-precision parts and thin sheet metals.

Nitrogen in Metal Processing -

Nitrogen is also utilized in several other metal processing applications beyond laser cutting. Its unique properties, such as its low reactivity and cooling capabilities, make it invaluable in many industrial processes.

a) Plasma Cutting and Welding:

In plasma cutting, nitrogen is sometimes used as a plasma gas to produce a high-energy, precise cut. When used in this capacity, nitrogen enhances the cutting speed and the quality of the cut, especially when working with metals like aluminum and stainless steel.

Nitrogen is also used in welding to create an inert atmosphere around the weld pool, preventing oxidation and ensuring high-quality, clean welds.

b) Heat Treatment and Annealing:

In heat treatment processes, such as annealing or nitriding, nitrogen plays an important role as a protective atmosphere. It is used to prevent contamination or oxidation during processes like carburizing or nitriding, where nitrogen is introduced into the surface of steel to increase hardness.

In nitriding, nitrogen is used to introduce nitrogen atoms into the steel surface, creating a hard, wear-resistant layer. This process is essential in the automotive and tooling industries to increase the lifespan of components.

c) Inert Atmosphere for Metal Coating:

In metal coating processes like physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD), nitrogen is used as a part of the inert atmosphere to prevent unwanted reactions and ensure the purity of the deposited material. It helps maintain the integrity and quality of coatings like titanium nitride or chromium nitride on tool steels, which are used to improve wear resistance and hardness.

d) Purging and Inerting:

In many metal fabrication processes that involve high temperatures, such as welding, brazing, and casting, nitrogen is used to purge oxygen from chambers to create an inert atmosphere. This prevents oxidation, rusting, and other unwanted chemical reactions with the molten metal.

Pipe and tank inerting also relies on nitrogen to displace oxygen and prevent the risk of explosions or fires, especially in industries like petrochemicals or natural gas processing.

How Airox can Support ?

Airox technologies is one of the leading name, in the field of PSA Nitrogen Systems. Our systems are designed to provide  continuous flow of nitrogen at desired concentrations for various commercial markets. Typically with AirSep nitrogen plant we can provide Nitrogen with 99.9-99.99% product concentrations.

Our Nitrogen Generators most efficient and reliable generators available today. With their proprietary mufflers, these units also achieve the lowest sound levels in the industry. 

To learn more - https://airoxtechnologies.com/Nitrogen-Generator-in-india