Cutting Methods & Common Materials for Machine Bases

1. Common Materials for Machine Bases (Classified by Load Capacity & Equipment Type)

1.1 Light-duty Equipment Bases (Small Machine Tools, Fans, Conveyors, Control Cabinet Bases)

1. Q235B Mild Carbon Steel Plate Most cost-effective, easy to cut, weld and machine, medium toughness for general loads, poor rust resistance; painting is required. Common thickness: 10–30 mm.
2. S235JR (European Standard, Widely Used for Export Products) Equivalent to Q235B, standard material for European machine bases with improved low-temperature toughness.
3. Checker Plate Anti-slip base for compact equipment, thickness 3–8 mm, only used as load-bearing floor without heavy loads.

1.2 Medium & Heavy-duty Equipment Bases (Lathes, Milling Machines, Pump Bodies, Air Compressors, Small Construction Machinery Frames)

1. Q355B Low Alloy High Strength Steel (Replacement of 16Mn) 30% higher strength than Q235B, anti-deformation, suitable for 20–80 mm thick bases; mainstream material for machine tool and pump bases with favorable weldability.
2. S355JR / S355NL European high-strength steel for exported equipment bases; select S355NL for low-temperature working conditions.
3. Cast Iron HT200 / HT250 Integrally cast base featuring excellent vibration damping and rigidity, specially applied to precision machine tools and grinders. Formed by sand casting instead of plate cutting.

1.3 Heavy-duty & Wear-resistant Equipment Bases (Crushers, Presses, Mining Machinery, Large Construction Machinery)

1. Q690 / S690QL Ultra-high Strength Steel Plate 60–120 mm extra-thick bases under heavy impact loads, anti-bending and anti-deformation; applied to large presses and mining equipment bases.
2. NM400 / NM500 Wear-resistant Steel Plate Compound usage on base parts contacting sand and materials to form wear-resistant layers, not adopted for full-plate base manufacturing.
3. 45# Medium Plate For bases requiring local quenching & tempering and high-precision mounting surfaces; high hardness with difficult machining.

1.4 Anti-corrosion Bases (Chemical, Outdoor & Water Treatment Equipment)

1. 304 Stainless Steel Plate: Mild corrosive environments, food and water treatment equipment bases, prone to deformation during cutting.
2. 316L Stainless Steel Plate: Acid & alkali chemical working conditions with high cost.
3. Q235NH Weathering Steel Plate: Outdoor exposed equipment with less frequent repainting demand.

2. Plate Cutting Processes for Machine Bases (Selected Based on Plate Thickness & Precision Requirements)

2.1 Flame Cutting (Most Popular, First Choice for Thick Base Plates)

Applicable Materials: Carbon steel Q235 / Q355, blanking of large-size bases with thickness 10–200 mm Advantages: Ultra-low cost, capable of cutting extra-thick plates, high efficiency for blanking full large plates Disadvantages: Severe thermal deformation, rough cutting surface; high-precision bases require subsequent edge milling. Not suitable for stainless steel or wear-resistant high-strength steel. Process Flow: CAD drawing nesting → CNC flame cutting machine → rough cutting → oxide slag removal → finish milling Application Scenarios: Large machine tool bases, blanking of heavy-duty frames

2.2 Plasma Cutting (Medium & Thin Plates, Stainless Steel Bases)

1. Ordinary Air Plasma: 3–30 mm carbon steel & stainless steel, thin equipment bases and support bottom plates
2. Fine Plasma: 6–50 mm, smooth cutting surface, less deformation than flame cutting, semi-finished products for medium-small precision bases Advantages: Capable of cutting stainless steel and high-strength steel, fast cutting speed Limitations: Unable to process plates thicker than 200 mm, dross forms on cutting edges

2.3 Fiber Laser Cutting (High-precision Light-duty Bases & Stainless Steel Bases)

Applicable Thickness: 0.5–30 mm thin & medium plates, mass-produced precision equipment bases and stainless steel frames Advantages: Dimensional tolerance ±0.05 mm, cutting edges free of secondary polishing, low thermal deformation, one-step forming of small holes and special-shaped cutouts Drawbacks: Extremely high processing cost for plates over 30 mm, not fit for blanking oversized heavy-duty bases

2.4 Waterjet Cutting (Special Materials, Zero Thermal Deformation Bases)

Applicable Materials: Stainless steel, wear-resistant plates, clad steel plates, thin plates susceptible to thermal deformation Features: Cold cutting without thermal stress or deformation, no change to material mechanical properties Shortcomings: Slow cutting speed, high processing fee; only for small-batch high-precision anti-corrosion & wear-resistant bases

2.5 Saw Cutting (High-precision Standard Rectangular Base Blanks)

Equipment: Metal Band Saw, Gantry Saw Applicable Workpieces: Square & rectangular thick base blanks, strip cutting of 45# steel, high-strength steel and stainless steel Advantages: Straight cutting edges, high dimensional precision, no oxide layer, direct feeding for machining Limitations: Unable to cut special shapes or arcs, only for linear plate splitting

2.6 Milling / Edge Planing (Finishing Process After Cutting, Not Blanking Cutting)

All heavy-duty bases rough-cut by flame or plasma require edge milling to eliminate thermally affected layers and guarantee flatness for base assembly and splicing.

3. Matching Scheme of Base Material & Cutting Process

1. Light Fan / Control Cabinet Base (Q235B, 6–16 mm): Mass production → Fiber Laser Cutting; Small Single Pieces → Plasma Cutting
2. Standard Heavy Machine Tool Base (Q355B, 30–100 mm): CNC Flame Cutting + Subsequent Edge Milling
3. Export Equipment Base (S355JR, 20–60 mm): Fine Plasma / Flame Cutting, unified edge milling for weld grooves for export standards
4. Mining Crusher Base (Q690, 60–150 mm): High-power dedicated flame cutting with strict control of thermal deformation
5. Food & Chemical Stainless Steel Base (304, 8–25 mm): Fiber Laser / Waterjet Cutting to avoid high-temperature oxidation
6. Precision Grinder Integral Base (HT250 Cast Iron): Sand casting forming, no plate cutting procedures

4. Key Cutting Notes Specialized for Machine Bases

1. Extra-thick bases cut by flame need stress relief aging treatment to release cutting stress and prevent warping deformation in later service.
2. Reduce cutting speed when processing Q690 high-strength steel to avoid hardened cutting edges and subsequent welding cracking.
3. Weld grooves for base assembly shall be uniformly processed by edge milling instead of retaining original cutting grooves.
4. Wear-resistant clad plate bases are strictly forbidden to be processed by flame cutting; only waterjet or fine plasma cutting is allowed to prevent peeling of wear-resistant layers.