Plasma Cutting Stainless Steel

[Will_D]

So I need to cut up some SS plate (either 304 or 316) into length of bar stock.

Bandsaw will take ages so what about plasma?

Now I have learned that SS work/heat hardens quite differently from carbon steel! My understanding is that if you heat to red heat and cool slowly then its dead hard (This is how you fek up drill bits in SS).

The secret is then to anneal the SS by heating to dull red and quenching rapidly in water. Exact opposit to hi-carbon non-stainles steels!

So if I use a plasma torch what happens when I put it into the milling machine to trim to size?

Will it be dead hard from the cutting?

Why am I doing this?

I cannot buy any stock lengths of cold drawn 303, 304, 306 in Ireland (like 12 x 4mm, 20 x 6 mm etc).

Most stockists start with hot rolled 25 x 8 as the smallest size. I need various SS equivalents to the typical cold drawn BMS as used in a lot of model engineering projects.

I know there are some ME suppliers that sell CD 304 in these sizes by the foot or the inch but I would prefer to buy stock (3M) lengths!

Any links to suppliers in UK that could ship say 100 to 150 quids worth of stock?

Thanks in advance: Will

[John Stevenson]

On those sizes you mention my supplier, ASC Metals at Lincoln would shear off a large sheet.
I regularly buy 30 x 12 and even that is sheared

[trevoratxtal]

When I have had to plasma cut stainless, I cut a little oversize and take of the heat stressed surface with an angle grinder or flexy pad.
As plasma cuts so fast the depth of stress is very little.
Trev

[Will_D]

Thanks Trev - that makes a lot of sense

Thanks John never thought about that way - probably find it hard though around dublin to find a company that will sheer of small width!

BTW: I really fancy a plasma cutter - its the one thing in the electrics dept I don't have!