A Brief Discussion on the Development of CNC Cutting Machines in Our Country

With the annual increase in domestic steel consumption, the requirements for steel processing technology have also significantly improved. Processing requirements such as material cutting, welding, and bending have become relatively inefficient when using some early handheld devices. In addition, the experiential operation of handheld and manual devices leads to unstable control of processing accuracy, which is a problem that enterprises urgently need to solve. From an industry perspective, in the early mechanical processing processes in the country, manual cutting, semi-automatic cutting machines, and CNC cutting machines were used for sheet metal cutting. Manual cutting is flexible and convenient, but it has poor quality, large dimensional errors, significant material waste, and a heavy workload for subsequent processing, along with harsh labor conditions and low production efficiency. Among semi-automatic cutting machines, contour cutting machines provide better quality for the cut workpieces, but they are not suitable for single pieces, small batches, and large workpieces due to their use of cutting molds. Other types of semi-automatic cutting machines, while reducing the labor intensity of workers, have simple functions and are only suitable for cutting parts with relatively regular shapes. CNC cutting, compared to manual and semi-automatic cutting methods, can effectively improve the efficiency and quality of sheet metal cutting and reduce the labor intensity of operators. Currently, the use of manual cutting and semi-automatic cutting methods is still quite common in some small and medium-sized enterprises and even in some large enterprises in our country. At present, the steel consumption in China's machinery industry has exceeded 300 million tons, and the cutting volume of steel is very large; with the development of modern machinery industry, the requirements for the work efficiency and product quality of sheet metal cutting processing have also increased. Therefore, the market potential for CNC cutting machines is still significant, and the market outlook is relatively optimistic. From the application of various CNC cutting machines, the technical level and overall performance of domestically produced CNC cutting machines have made gratifying progress, gradually catching up with international advanced levels, meeting user needs, and further enhancing market competitiveness. Some domestic CNC plasma cutting products have developed unique characteristics in many aspects, achieving "automation, multifunctionality, and high reliability." In certain areas, the technical performance of these products even surpasses that of foreign products. From the development trend, CNC flame cutting machines will maintain their basic market in the CNC cutting machine market, the water jet cutting market will see a certain degree of increase, while CNC plasma cutting machines and CNC laser cutting machines will become the mainstream forces in the sheet metal cutting market. Specialized CNC cutting equipment for profiles, as well as contact and non-contact CNC cutting equipment for non-metals, will also have significant development space, and the entire CNC cutting machine market will continue to expand. Improving the production efficiency and cutting quality of CNC cutting machines, reducing production and usage costs, enhancing the overall automation level and system stability, and perfecting system functions will become the direction of its technological development.