The
Blackhawk™cutting system operates on the principle of a combustion triangle. A solid
combustible fuel resides inside the fuel tubes. When pure bottled oxygen
flows through the tube filled with fuel, nothing happens. When this
process is repeated and a catalytic 12 volt spark is introduced, an
exothermic reaction is initiated which consumes the tube and fuel so
long as sufficient oxygen flow is present. Although oxygen and the
fuel are essential, the spark can be replaced using a chemical agent
or an oxyacetylene flame. A pug tube field igniter can ignite a flame
tube using a mere stick match in dry conditions. The cardboard tube
generates sufficient heat with bottled oxygen to cause ignition in
approximately five seconds.
Blackhawk™ Cutting
Torch
A Blackhawk™ cutting torch is designed
to deliver both oxygen and amperage upon demand to power both flame
tubes and arc rods. For simplicity sake, we distinguish cutting consumables
into tubes and rods. Tubes do not require voltage to run. Rods require
a welder to perform cutting. Fortunately, our cutting torch is designed
to operate both. The only difference is connecting a welding cable
to the cable adapter at the base of the torch to power arc rods.
The
copolymer torch body is specifically designed to insulate the user
when used in an arc cutting mode. The torch is also designed to extinguish
the flame when the oxygen lever is released. For convenience, an oxygen
regulator is employed at the base of the cutting torch so operators
can adjust the flame while cutting. This feature is very handy so operators
do not have to change their oxygen tank regulator settings.
Flame cutting tubes
versus arc cutting rods
What is the difference? Flame tubes
light with a 12 volt battery, oxyacetylene or a pug field igniter as
indicated above. Flame tubes use a soft inner fuel so as to sustain
ignition without any additional power source beyond the initial impetus.
Therefore, there is no need for a welder when using a flame tube. Once
ignited, the flame tubes will continue to cut, pierce or gouge until
consumed or until the torch lever is released and the oxygen flow is
thereby stopped. Since flame tubes do not require a welder assist,
they do not need to be grounded. The absence of a power ground provides
a cut through materials that do not conduct current.
For example, rust, scale, paint,
slag and concrete are non-conductive materials that a flame tube can
readily melt because of its heat. The oxygen elevates the temperature
of the burn and also provides a convenient means of blowing melted
material away from the cut zone. The greater the oxygen pressure, the
faster the cut. For controlled cutting, gouging or piercing, lower
pressures suffice. A frequent question about the heat generated using
a Blackhawk™ cutting torch is the overall heat introduced to the material.
Speed is the answer. The torch cuts so fast there is less heat and
changes to metallurgy. This result translates into better weld integrity.
Heat
provides crucial benefits for the diverse needs of repair and maintenance.
Flame tubes not only burn
at ten-thousand degrees farenheit, they can be bent or angles for all position access. Imagine the time saved in cutting or piercing a bolt
in a precarious position without taking apart adjacent equipment or
parts. Flame tubes can pierce a hole in 4" plate in 4 seconds.Often flame tubes provide faster holes than drills in field fitting
situations. Flame tubes also gouge so that welds can be removed. A
linear foot of weldment can be removed in 8
seconds with the flame tube on its side. It flows across the metal
like a feather duster. Clearly, this torch is designed for the rapidly
changing needs of the modern world.
Flame
tubes employ a copper clad outer jacket. For land there is no additional
coating. For underwater,
an adhesive spiral wrap or shrink coat provides insulation. The inner
fuel has no carbon so very clean gouges can be effected generally without
grinding prior to welding. Since flame tubes do not require continuous
voltage they can be employed in tight spaces without concern of side
arcing. Since flame tubes run without current they can be used for
ductile pile, rock, concrete, plastic and more. Industrial settings
are diverse. Nuclear power plants use flame cutting tubes to burn through
cooling pipe bundles which are filled with crusty deposits. Dam engineers
use flame tubes to perform maintenance on turbines and related infrastructure.
Heavy equipment personnel use flame tubes for piercing pins or scarfing
stress cracks prior to rewelding. Simply pierce the crack on both ends,
gouge and weld. Flame tubes vary in diameter and length. Generally,
the longer tubes are used specifically for piercing. A 24" equipment
pin can be pierced through the center in as little as five minutes.
Our video shows a 36" flame tube successfully piercing a 6" block
of stainless steel. Since flame tubes burn underwater, they are also
popular among divers around the world. Since there are no UV rays with
a flame process, a number 5 burning lens is required for eye protection.
Oxygen pressures vary depending upon the material. As a general rule,
use the least amount of oxygen to accomplish a cut. Flame tubes will
burn on as little as ten pounds of oxygen pressure.
Arc rods display a much harder inner
fuel to effect a cut. Therefore, they must be used with a welding power
supply. Although the use of a welding machine might seem a disadvantage,
there is a significant benefit. The harder fuel allows cuts up to twenty
minutes in duration. The longer duration makes arc rods ideal for scrap,
dismantling and salvage. Since arc rods require a ground to conduct
voltage they will not melt products that are non-conductive i.e., rocks,
concrete and plastics. Arc rods use a pure copper outer tube coated
with an adhesive spiral wrap or heat shrink coating to insulate against
shock. The inner fuel involves a series of pure carbon spokes held
in a radial configuration about the circumference using a crimp. The
radial configuration provides a hole down the center to facilitate
a jet stream of oxygen useful for blowing material from the cut.
If
used underwater, only a DC power supply can be used. On land either
DC or AC can be employed. The power
requirements depend upon the thickness of the material. We recommend
a 200 amp welder to power our arc cutting rods. Arc rods will operate;
however, on as little as 125 amps. Arc cutting rods require no ignition.
They automatically ignite when brought into contact with the grounded
material. Since there are UV rays with any arc process, a number ten
welder's lens is required. Arc cutting rods are never to be used underwater
except by commercial divers with extensive experience in welding and
cutting. In the initial states of our online video an arc rod is being
used to cut through 2" plate in seconds. We used a 225 amp Lincoln
DC welder as a power supply. Unlike air carbon arc cutting, our arc
cutting rods operate quietly. They burn smooth and cut incredibly fast.
Watch the video and see the power in action.
Good
News for the overworked. One Blackhawk™ cutting
system can outperform all of the alternate systems shown. Over 24
separate processes with a mere change in hand position. No acetylene,
propane, mapp or gas. No welding power supply when using our flame
tubes. No compressor required like carbon arc when using our arc
rods. Unlike plasma arc, our consumables can be bent around corners
and pierce up to 24" of metal. Get a Blackhawk™ and
realize the immediate difference. Not more than you need, merely
more than you have ever dreamed.
Magmafusion™ versus
Plasma
In
order to differentiate our flame cutting tubes from other processes,
we shall be referring
to our tubes as Magmafusion™. A plasma cutter uses either oxygen or
air and cuts using current passing through a ceramic cone. The cones
and nozzles are the consumable. There are numerous differences in terms
of speed, power and versatility between a Magmafusion™ cutter and a
plasma cutter. Our cutting torch shares
speed and power in common with other popular tools used by discriminating
consumers. Demand the best. Demand a Blackhawk™ cutting torch
Although
there are numerous similarities, Magmafusion™ has numerous advantages
over a plasma cutter. As we discussed earlier, flame cutting tubes
do not require
voltage to operate. Magmafusion™ is far faster than plasma-arc. Plasma
cutters cannot cut through laminates. Magmafusion™ can easily cut through
several layers of material. Plasma cutters work best on flat surfaces.
Magmafusion™ works in any position and since it uses a cutting tube,
the tube can reach into small places. This benefit often precludes
dismantling parts to effect a repair. An air powered plasma cutter
generates considerable noise. A Magmafusion™ cutter operates at a very
low sound threshold. Government tests indicate a Magmafusion™ cutter
makes the least noise of all cutting processes e.g., 57 decibels. For
comparison, about as much sound as a 7018 welding electrode. Can you
achieve the same cut with Magmafusion™ as a plasma? No. But the cut
achieved with Magmafusion™ is well within re-weld tolerances.
Magmafusion™ versus
air carbon arc
Where
Magmafusion™ represents the quietest cutting process on the market,
air carbon arc is undoubtedly
the loudest. The federal government has restricted the use of air carbon
arc to as little as twenty minutes per person per shift in mining settings.
Air carbon arc uses a carbon electrode and an air compressor to effect
a cut. The process has been long used for cutting wear manganese wear
plates. With Magmafusion™ the same cutting tube can be used to cut
thick or thin materials alike. Air carbon arc can require as much as
a 600 amp welder to effect a cut on thick materials and a high c.f.m.
air compressor. Therefore, you can generally forget using the process
indoors. There is also a problem with eye injury. Anyone working in
the general area can be subjected to UV rays and subsequent arc burn
of the eyes. When you consider a Magmafusion™ flame tube can cut through
any material using an oxygen bottle and a spark for the initial ignition,
small wonder operators call it the miracle torch. Noise, smoke and
the high voltage are concerns when using any piece of equipment. Magmafusion™ is
several times faster than air carbon arc and does not contain carbon.
Although air carbon arc is used for cutting and gouging, it can leave
carbon in the gouge or cut. This is called carbon contamination. The
effects include post weld cracking.
Magmafusion™ versus
oxyacetylene
Oxyacetylene
uses a dangerous gas called "acetylene," which
is employed to elevate the flame temperature. Despite using acetylene,
the maximum flame temperature under the best conditions are approximately
half that of a Magmafusion™ cutting
tube. The
lower temperature prevents oxyacetylene from cutting many materials
like cast iron, stainless steel and aluminum. Oxyacetylene, like air
carbon arc cannot burn through laminates. Preheating is another problem
encountered with oxyacetylene. Operators must first heat the metal
prior to cutting. The preheating is not only a delay, it also changes
the metallurgy. The most dramatic problem with preheating is metal
fatigue and cracking adjacent to a weld. With Magmafusion™ there
is no preheating. No dangerous gases to mix. No flame to adjust other
than its length. No material barriers since a ten-thousand degree flame
will even melt a rock. Oxyacetylene must be shut off using a specific
sequence or the tips will pop and be destroyed. With our torch releasing
the torch lever will immediately extinguish the flame. Neither air
carbon arc or oxyacetylene can make the nice holes in thick materials
like Magmafusion™.
About the only thing a Magmafusion™ torch
cannot be used for is heating.
This
comparative discussion has been limited to our flame cutting tubes.
Our arc cutting rods are slightly
different. They are quiet, require no gases to mix, display low amperage
requirements and also burn at a ten-thousand degree temperature like
our flame cutting tubes. Therefore, there is no preheating. The main
difference is they do possess carbon. Therefore, cleaning is required
in a maintenance setting prior to re-weld. Since our arc cutting rods
were primarily designed for scrap, dismantling and salvage, this is
not a concern. Uses include scrap yards, ship dismantling and equipment
salvage in a variety of settings. The fact our Blackhawk™ cutting
torch operates both without any adjustment makes it the ideal tool
in the cutting arsenal.
The preceding are but a few features
differentiating our torch and consumables from other cutting processes
currently employed on the market. This page is still under construction.
Feel free to write with additional questions for a quick response via
email. We sell to every imaginable industrial niche from nuclear power
plants to government testing grounds. When it comes to repair, maintenance,
scrap, dismantling and salvage, there is no faster, more powerful or
more versatile cutting process on the market.
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