What Is Metal Guillotine Cutting Machine and How to Do It

Guillotine cutting machines used for metal are different from those used during the French Revolution. They are created to cut metal sheets to be smaller and more manageable. Afterwards, you can even use these smaller sheets for different machine parts or structures. 

As we move down the line of tools, we can see that the control panel on a top-tier guillotine has a lot of functions. There’s even a foot plate that’s part of the machine.

See below the different features of Guillotine cutting machines and how you can use them properly.

An Overview on Guilotine Cutting

Guillotine sheet metal cutting machines cut metal sheets into specific shapes, sizes, and dimensions. You can use these machines to cut metal sheets with absolute accuracy.

Additionally, Guillotine cutting machines are a common type of metalwork equipment companies use to meet their clients’ needs and specifications. You can use it to prepare metal for the next step of the shaping process or as a complete process to produce sheet metal fabrication.

Mechanised cutting machines play an essential role in metal shaping by being able to cut the sheet with exact measurements and angles.

To learn more about this Guillotine cutting machine, check out its controls’ features.

1. Review the Metal Guillotining Controls

The big red button is the emergency stop, and the pedal next to it controls the direct-drive motor. The pedal actuates the air drive valves if the equipment is pneumatically powered. This big button stops the entire machine if something goes wrong, like if an operator gets hurt. 

On the top of the guillotine are buttons to adjust how fast it falls and what angle it falls at. There are also a lot of safety features, like electrical guards. The cutting machine won’t work if the guards are lifted. Remember, this is an important safety feature.

2. Check the Multifunction Cutting Features

The guillotine needs to be able to adjust the blade gap to ensure precision and accuracy when cutting. The blade gap will adjust upwards if the sheet metal is thicker than average. The same is true for the blade rake angle.

The “Rake Angle” is measured from left to right and decides how much of the sheet material is cut. If the angle is high, then less material is cut. This adjustment minimises sheet bowing and bending, resulting in a more accurate cut.

An expert operator can use their fingers to adjust the pressure and angle. You can also alter the speed of the strokes, as well as the angle of the blade. Blade angle is usually measured as the drop from left to right.

Conclusion

The above descriptions only apply to semi-automated metal guillotining cutting machines. The operator adjusts an angular vector or stroke control and then sets the rake angle (if needed) depending on the density or thickness of the sheet metal.

Many higher-end equipment rigs come with fully automated metal guillotines that can be controlled via a computerised touchscreen interface. In many cases, these rigs don’t require a full-time operator, as they can be linked to a CAD (Computer-Aided Design) system.

If you’re thinking of buying either an industrial guillotine or the smaller hand-held guillotine, you need to consider the advantages of each.

To use a Guillotine cutting machine for sheet metal fabrication, conour team at CSM Fabrication and Welding can help. We can provide you with the functions, capabilities and different types of machines for If you want to partner with sheet metal fabricators in Perth, contact us today!

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