"Duct and pipe cutting" covers a wider range of real jobs than the phrase suggests -- from thin-gauge HVAC ductwork to heavy-wall structural pipe for oil and gas or offshore work. The right CNC configuration depends heavily on which end of that range a shop actually works in.
Thin-Wall Duct and Tube Work
For lighter-gauge round, square, and rectangular tube -- common in HVAC, furniture, and general fabrication -- fiber laser cutting is usually the better fit. Our Tube CNC Fiber Laser handles round, square, rectangular, and special-shaped profiles with the tight tolerances and clean edges thin-wall work demands, without the burr and dross that thermal plasma leaves on lighter material.
Heavy-Wall Structural Pipe
Once wall thickness and diameter increase into structural pipe territory, the priority shifts from edge finish toward weld-prep accuracy -- specifically, getting bevel angles and intersection curves right for downstream welding. Our 5-Axis CNC Pipe Beveling Center is built around exactly this: maintaining a constant bevel angle across curved intersection joints, not just straight cuts.
Plasma for Large-Diameter and Mixed Material
For very large diameter pipe or where budget favors plasma over laser, our Tube Plasma Air Cutter covers round and square profiles at a lower per-machine cost than an equivalent-capacity laser system, trading some edge precision for lower capital cost and simpler consumables.
Matching the Machine to the Job Mix
Shops that run a genuinely mixed diameter and wall-thickness range are often better served by two purpose-built machines than one machine stretched across its full theoretical range -- a laser tube cutter pushed to its maximum diameter, or a plasma system pushed to its minimum practical wall thickness, both tend to underperform a machine sized correctly for that specific job.