An air cutter uses air to cut objects to a specified size and can be activated by a switch or infrared light. Safety is important when using pneumatic cutters, which can cut a variety of materials with adjustable air pressure.
An air cutter is a device found in a manufacturing facility that uses the force of air to cut objects to a specified size. There are many variations of the pneumatic cutter that are used to cut everything from wire to bolts. Typically, a worker will place the object to be cut into a jig and, once placement is secured, flip a switch to activate the cutter. When the switch is activated, air enters the tool and starts the cutting action as powerful steel jaws slice and dice the object to size.
Some forms of the pneumatic cutter are not activated by a human worker, but rather are triggered by an infrared light. When the object to be cut enters a cutting area, the infrared eye sends a signal to the pneumatic cutter to cut the designated object. In manufacturing plants such as nail factories, this shearing action occurs millions of times per shift. As the nail blanks come out of a die, a pneumatic cutter cuts them to the correct size and they continue down the line to the next station.
In wire manufacturing, it can take several passes through a pneumatic cutter to complete a single harness. Many times, the air cutter is accompanied by air crimpers, as the wire is not only cut to size but also has a crimped terminal end in place. In this type of installation, wires are cut, stripped, and spliced together in multiple stages all using pneumatic equipment.
Safety is a must when working with pneumatic cutters. The cutters are very powerful and it would be easy to lose or injure a finger if it were to get in the way of the cutting jaws. Typically, there are several safety features to keep body parts clear of the cutting area; however, in an effort to work faster and meet or exceed any piece rates that may be in effect, some workers are tempted to modify cutters to allow for faster loading and unloading of workpieces. Operating the Air Cutter without safety guards in place is very dangerous and should never be attempted by anyone at any time or anywhere.
Air cutters can successfully cut a wide variety of materials. The force of a pneumatic cutter is measured by the amount of air pressure going to the tool. By simply adjusting the air pressure upward, the tool is able to cut heavy material with little resistance.
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