Additional beveling process (ABP) is used for creating Y or K cuts in thicker plates. Normally, a Y cut is made by a straight cut followed by a bevel cut, still cutting through the whole thickness of the material (increased by the angle). This type of cutting is limited by the maximum thickness of plates a plasma source is able to cut. For example, a plasma source with the capability to cut maximum 50 mm can cut a plate about 35 mm thick at most when cutting with a 45° bevel.
The situation is different when a part is first cut straight and then moved to another part of the table where just the upper beveled part will be cut. The machine will be able to cut the bevels (for Y and K cuts) in the full range thicknesses of the plasma source’s capability.
This process works with a special dedicated scanner (ABP scanner) that identifies the position of the cut part and its upper edge and aligns it with a cutting program of this part. It can be used with a rotator or a 3D tilting tool station on all machines that support bevel cutting, regardless of cutting technology employed.