ESAB LAUNCHES SMARTJET GREEN HYDROGEN CUTTING TECHNOLOGY FOR HYDROCARBON-FREE AUTOMATED CUTTING OF STEEL

North Bethesda, Md. – To improve performance while decarbonizing automated cutting of steel, ESAB will launch its new SmartJet Green oxy-hydrogen cutting in booth W3801 at FABTECH, October 15 – 17 in Orlando, Florida.  When hydrogen burns in combination with oxygen, the main by-product is water, eliminating the carbon dioxide produced by burning acetylene, natural gas or propane. The debut of SmartJet Green will feature live demonstrations using a Combirex PRO, ESAB’s most popular high-precision automated system for oxy-fuel and plasma cutting and beveling.

“Visitors to the ESAB booth will see how SmartJet Green hydrogen cutting technology offers faster pre-heat speeds, excellent cut quality, slightly faster cutting speeds and reduced dust generation compared to oxy-acetylene,” says Steve Zlotnicki, Global Product Manager, Cutting Systems at ESAB. “Preliminary cost efficiency calculations indicate that hydrogen costs about 20% less than acetylene and 30% less than propane. Because it combines cost, quality, and performance benefits, we believe hydrogen cutting will become a preferred process in steel service centers, shipyards, wind tower and other heavy fabrication applications.”

Hydrogen cutting has a distinct advantage for cut starts and piercing regardless of plate thickness. According to Zlotnicki, a good table operator can preheat a plate in 20 to 30 seconds with oxy-acetylene. Using SmartJet Green technology reduces preheat time to 5 to 10 seconds because the focused hydrogen flame heats a specific point (which also the mitigates the risk of excessive overheating). The SmartJet Green torch can pierce steel up 150 mm (6 in.) and edge start on steel up to 300 mm (12-in.).

 In terms of average flame temperature, acetylene is 3,200 C, hydrogen is 2,976 C and propane is 2,850 C. However, because of hydrogen’s focused flame, cutting speeds are equal to, or slightly faster than acetylene. As an example, tests at ESAB’s cutting automation center in Karbon, Germany, showed that the SmartJet Green torch cut 30 mm plate at speeds of 480 mm/min or better; in comparison, an oxy-propane flame cuts steel at 400 mm/min. 

“There is no difference in the cut quality, and tests confirm the hardness of the cut surface is similar with all fuel gases,” says Zlotnicki. 

A Safer Solution

SmartJet Green cutting technology offers safety advantages because hydrogen is the lightest of all gases and non-toxic to humans. A hydrogen leak will float upward and dissipate rapidly, where heavier fuel gases will fall and may accumulate in closed spaces that create explosion hazards. Hydrogen also requires a much higher concentration in the atmosphere before it will ignite. 
“The hydrogen flame looks significantly different than conventional fuel gases,” adds Zlotnicki. “It produces a bluish flame, but there are no inner cones. As a result, there is no way to adjust the hand valves to tell when the flame is optimised. As a result, you need an automated gas control system that will set, monitor and maintain proper flow rates based on the data in ESAB’s Vision T6 controller.”

About ESAB 

For more than 120 years, ESAB has been a world leader in fabrication technology. Our distinctive portfolio of fabrication solutions encompasses more than 40 of the world’s most trusted brands for welding and cutting equipment, automation, robotics, fabrication software, filler metals, gas flow control, and PPE. Industries and innovators that shape the world rely on ESAB’s products and solutions. To learn more, visit esab.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

ESAB Media Contact:
Chuck Schroeder
Tel +1 (262) 618-4427
[email protected]

Corporate Media Contact:
Tilea Coleman
Tel +1 (301) 323-9092
[email protected]