SATURN HIGH PURITY NITROGEN GENERATORS IN LASER CUTTING
Laser cutting is a proven cutting technology that is increasingly used for sheet metal processing (in either flat sheet or hollow section applications) both for the quality of the edge that it generates and for the high-speed processing that it allows. The profiles and apertures are achieved through the removal of material along the cutting contour (kerf) by the combined action of a laser beam and a gas jet.

The high quality edge is achieved with a flow of nitrogen that protects or shields the surface and "blows away" the molten metal from the kerf, this is also known as "process gas". It should be absolutely free of oxygen for a minimal oxidation. The traditional sources of nitrogen (nitrogen gas cylinders or liquid nitrogen) even though they are pure at origin, they always have a minimum oxygen content due to the logistics of distribution. Furthermore, atmospheric oxygen can produce oxidation because some oxygen molecules can reach the cutting zone.

ErreDue SpA  produces, a wide range of gas generators that solve and eliminate this problem.

ErreDue’s idea was born from the theoretical consideration to purify the Nitrogen "process gas" by adding a small amount of Hydrogen to the gas stream (0.5 to 1%  produced by a small electrolite cell installed inside the generator) . Nitrogen is first produced at "Standard" quality that includes a small amount of Oxygen, like all traditional sources of nitrogen on the market. Then Saturn machine injects hydrogen into the “process gas”.

Practical Evidence
This high purity “process gas” was tested by ErreDue at engineering companies in Italy, that were involved in the manufacture of laser cut parts. They operate laser machines from different manufacturers including AMADA, BYSTRONIC, MAZAK, PRIMA and TRUMPF. ErreDue collected opinions from the operators who said, that in comparison with the traditional sources of nitrogen they had used previously, the high purity nitrogen gas produced had the following advantages:

1) The cut edge was much brighter
2) The cutting speed was faster
3) The edge quality has improved a lot and much smoother