Laser cutting, also known as laser beam cutting, is a thermal cutting process for plate-shaped material (usually metal sheets, but also wooden panels and organic materials) and 3-dimensional bodies (e.g. pipes or profiles) using a laser. The process is used where complex contours (two- or three-dimensional), precise, fast processing (typically 10 m/min, but also up to over 100 m/min), the production of three-dimensional openings (even in hard-to-reach places) and/or non-contact, virtually force-free processing are required. Compared to alternative processes such as punching, laser cutting can already be used economically for very small batch sizes. In order to combine the advantages of laser cutting with those of nibbling and punching, manufacturers also offer combined machines that enable both operations with the punching head and the laser cutting of any contours. Focused high-power lasers are used, usually CO2 lasers (a gas laser) or increasingly Nd:YAG lasers (solid-state lasers) as well as the more efficient, easy-to-focus fiber lasers.

Plasma cutters cut metals using a plasma generated by an electric arc. Hand-held or machine-guided plasma cutters are used in metal processing. Depending on the amperage, electrically conductive materials with a workpiece thickness of up to 200 mm can be cut. Common manual plasma systems have an amperage of up to 120 amperes, while the amperage of the more powerful machine-guided plasma cutting systems can be up to ten times this value. Conventional systems operate at around 300 amps and can therefore cut through 70 mm of black plate. In today’s plasma technology, a distinction is made between conventional plasma cutting and precision plasma cutting. In precision plasma cutting, the criteria are burr-free cutting lines, angularity of the cut or a metallic bright surface. Technical gas is used instead of compressed air in order to achieve a better cutting quality, which comes close to the quality of laser cutting. The main advantages of CNC plasma cutting systems over oxy-fuel cutting are the cutting speed, which is around four times faster, and the lower heat distortion due to the high energy density. In addition, plasma cutters can cut practically all metals, whereas oxy-fuel cutting is largely limited to structural steels.

Welding, cutting and related work processes generate gaseous and particulate substances (gases, fumes, dusts) which, depending on their composition, concentration and duration of exposure, endanger the health of employees (pollutants). Determining the concentration and potency of dominant pollutants (= lead components) is a prerequisite for assessing the respective working conditions, for determining and implementing the necessary measures and thus for successful preventive health care as a whole.

The topic area “Grinding, brushing, grinding tools” deals with all occupational health and safety issues relating to grinding, brushing and polishing machines, mainly for metalworking, as well as the associated tools. The spectrum of machines ranges from hand-held machines (e.g. angle grinders) to simple stationary machines (e.g. bench grinders, pendulum and belt grinders) and technically sophisticated multi-axis CNC machines. The tools include grinding, brushing and polishing tools, in particular bonded grinding tools, grinding tools with diamond or boron nitride and coated abrasives. Hazards from materials and substances in the form of emissions of grinding dust during dry grinding or emissions of cooling lubricant vapors and aerosols during wet grinding.

Blasting with glass beads achieves a slight plastic deformation, which creates a desirable residual stress in the workpiece and thus increases the surface hardness and fatigue strength (see also shot peening and work hardening) The surface is less roughened than by blasting with sand or corundum, but rather matt. Blasting with glass beads to clean metal produces dust that is hazardous to health.

Powder coating or powder painting is a coating process in which an electrically conductive material is coated with powder paint. A typical coating system consists of surface pre-treatment (cleaning and / or application of a conversion layer), intermediate drying, electrostatic coating zone and dryer. The workpieces are transported by a conveyor system.

If uninvolved employees in the factory hall need to be protected from welding fumes and spot extraction systems are not practical during welding, then hall ventilation systems such as the CleanAirTower from KEMPER are an effective alternative.
Spot extraction has priority. The closer welding fumes are captured at the point of origin, the greater the chance of extracting all hazardous particles from the air in the workshop. When it comes to occupational safety in metalworking companies, priority is therefore always given to so-called point extraction systems. It is not without reason that the law stipulates that hazardous substances must be extracted directly at the point of origin. This is the only way to guarantee a high degree of capture of the hazardous dust particles produced during welding.