Editing Plasma cutting (section)

== Cut quality ==
Plasma cutting produces kerfs, but these are not perfectly shaped. Ideally, a plasma cut would result in a perfectly linear and extremely narrow kerf.

In practice, however, plasma-cut kerfs are wider at the top surface of the metal sheet than at the bottom.

Additionally, the left and right edges of the cut (relative to the cutting direction) are often asymmetrical. The origin of these asymmetries remains unclear.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chabert |first1=Sébastien |last2=Gonzalez |first2=Jean Jacques |last3=Freton |first3=Pierre |date=2023 |title=Plasma arc cutting - reversed swirl ring, electrode thread and cut direction effects on kerf geometry |url=https://hal.science/hal-04125471v1 |journal=Plasma Physics and Technology |pages=6 p}}</ref>

Several cutting parameters — including cutting speed, arc current intensity, standoff distance between torch and workpiece, and gas injection pressures — significantly influence the quality of the cut.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chabert |first1=Sébastien |last2=Gonzalez |first2=Jean-Jacques |last3=Freton |first3=Pierre |date=March 2024 |title=Cutting and Shield Gases Pressure Effects on Plasma Cutting Quality |url=https://hal.science/hal-04468853 |journal= Welding Journal|volume=103 |issue=3 |pages=75–84 |doi=10.29391/2024.103.007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chabert |first1=Sébastien |last2=Freton |first2=Pierre |last3=Gonzalez |first3=Jean Jacques |date=June 2023 |title=Influence de la pression de l'air de protection sur la forme des saignées obtenues par découpe par plasma |url=https://hal.science/hal-04239421v1 |journal=16ème Colloque sur les Arcs Électriques 2023 (CAE 2023) |location=Antibes (06), France |publisher=Sophia Antipolis Nice (Laurent Fulcheri)}}</ref>