Introduction

Oxyfuel cutting is an important industrial process. Much more acetylene is used for cutting metals than for welding them. For many cutting applications, there is no more effective and efficient process. Used in construction, manufacturing, and repair operations, cutting outfits are inexpensive, portable, and easy to use. In some applications, propane or natural gas may be more cost-effective and replaces acetylene as the fuel gas. We will explain how the oxyfuel cutting process works, its capabilities and limitations. We will also cover cutting torches, trouble shooting, operating tips, and safety, then present some helpful accessories. Finally we will discuss some enhancements of the basic process.

Process Name

What term does the AWS use for any cutting process using oxygen and any fuel gas?

Oxyfuel cutting.

What is the AWS abbreviation for oxyfuel cutting?

The abbreviation for all oxyfuel cutting is OFC.

What is the AWS abbreviation for the oxyacetylene cutting process?

The abbreviation for oxyacetylene cutting is OAC. OAC is just one member of the OFC family.

Equipment

How do you convert an oxyacetylene welding outfit into an oxyacetylene cutting one?

A conventional OAW outfit is readily converted to perform light to heavy OAC by exchanging the welding nozzle on the torch handle to a cutting accessory head fitting into the handle, Figure 2-1.

Figure 2-1: Oxyacetylene cutting outfit.

How does an OAC cutting torch or accessory cutting assembly differ from an OAW torch?

The OAC cutting head still...