The order in which SheetCam cuts your parts matters immensely. If the torch cuts a small hole inside a larger perimeter immediately before cutting the outer edge, the heat from the hole is still radiating when the outer cut begins. This creates a "hot zone" where the material properties change, leading to poor cut quality on the perimeter.
While often associated with the welding process, hot cracking in the context of SheetCam and CNC plasma cutting refers to the structural failure or "tearing" of the metal during or immediately after the thermal cycle of the cut. sheetcam hot crack
Go to Corner Loops and select or "Dwell" . The order in which SheetCam cuts your parts
He zoomed in on the "Cut Rules" tab. There it was: A 90-degree lead-in into a 1/4" hole meant the torch was plunging straight down, then dragging the arc sideways while the steel was still liquid. The arc force was literally tearing the puddle apart. While often associated with the welding process, hot
during lead-ins or sharp corners where the torch might dive and cause uneven heating. Optimized Lead-ins/Lead-outs:
In this post, we’ll dive into why toolpaths "crack" under heat and how to use SheetCam’s features to keep your cuts cool and clean.
If you have spent any time in the world of CNC plasma cutting, you have likely heard the term whispered in forums or shouted in frustration across a noisy shop floor. It is one of the most common, yet misunderstood, failures in automated cutting.