Insights · Reference
Cutting is where a duct shop turns raw coil and sheet into blanks. Four different machines do it, each a different operation: slitting, shearing, plasma and laser. This reference compares them on model, material thickness, working size, power and weight, with the figures taken verbatim from the Taokron Product Catalog 2026.
The four machines are not interchangeable — they sit at different points in the workflow:
Slitting cuts a wide coil lengthwise into narrower strips. It is feedstock preparation — for example, producing the 137 mm strip a spiral tubeformer winds into round duct.
Shearing cuts a flat sheet straight across into blanks of a set length, with a clean square edge.
Plasma cutting makes CNC profile cuts — holes, slots, fittings and shapes — fast, across a wide gauge range.
Laser cutting makes the same profile cuts with a cleaner, more precise edge and minimal finishing, ideal for stainless and detailed work.
| Machine | What it cuts | Model(s) | Thickness | Working size / power | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slitting machine | Coil into narrow strips (feedstock) | — | 0.4–1.2 mm | Up to 1550 mm coil width | 500 kg |
| Shearing machine | Sheet into straight-edged blanks | SBQ11-2×1300 / 3×1300 / 3×1500 / 4×2000 | 2 / 3 / 3 / 4 mm | Up to 2000 mm wide · 20 strokes/min | 794–2300 kg |
| Plasma cutter | CNC profile cuts: holes, fittings, shapes | SBPC1550×4000 / SBPC1550×5100 | 0.4–4 mm | 1550×4000–5000 mm bed · 7–8 m/min · 12 kW | 1500–2300 kg |
| Laser cutter | CNC precision profile cuts, clean edge | SBLC-4015/2000 / SBLC-4015/3000 | 0.5–8 mm | 1500×4000 mm bed · 2000–3000 W fiber | 3000–3500 kg |
Source: Taokron Product Catalog 2026, manufacturer nameplate specifications. Plasma and laser machines run 380 V / 50 Hz / 3-phase. Two figures in a cell are the two model variants in the same order as the Model column.
Slitting is non-negotiable if you make spiral round duct — it turns mill coil into the exact strip width the tubeformer needs. It is light (500 kg) and sits at the head of the line.
Shearing is the workhorse for straight blanks in a rectangular-duct shop. Pick the SBQ11 model by your heaviest sheet: 2 mm up to 4 mm, and your widest sheet: 1300 mm up to 2000 mm.
Plasma is the everyday profile cutter: fast (7–8 m/min), 0.4–4 mm gauge at the lowest running cost per cut. For most duct blanks, holes and fittings, plasma is the volume tool.
Laser earns its place where edge quality and precision matter — stainless feature work, fine detail, or parts that would otherwise need deburring. A 2000–3000 W fiber laser cuts 0.5–8 mm with a near-finished edge. Many shops run plasma for volume and add laser for the precision jobs.
Plasma: faster, cheaper, wider gauge range, rougher edge. Laser: cleaner and more precise edge, better on stainless, higher capital cost. The choice is volume-and-cost (plasma) versus edge-quality-and-precision (laser) — and plenty of shops run both.
Tell us your gauge and volume for a cutting-machine recommendation →
Slitting cuts coil lengthwise into narrower strips (feedstock prep, e.g. the 137 mm spiral strip). Shearing cuts a sheet across into straight blanks. Taokron slitting handles 0.4–1.2 mm up to 1550 mm wide; SBQ11 shearing cuts 2–4 mm up to 2000 mm.
Both CNC profile-cut. Plasma is faster and cheaper across 0.4–4 mm at 7–8 m/min — best for volume. Laser gives a cleaner, precise edge on 0.5–8 mm — best for stainless and detail. Many shops run plasma for volume + laser for precision.
Slitting 0.4–1.2 mm, shearing 2–4 mm, plasma 0.4–4 mm, laser 0.5–8 mm. The laser reaches the heaviest gauge and the cleanest edge; plasma is the faster, cheaper everyday cutter.
Depends on the work. Spiral shops need slitting; rectangular shops need shearing for blanks and plasma or laser for profiles. A common core is slitter + plasma, with laser added for precision or stainless.
All four cut stainless. For thin stainless profiles with a clean, finishing-free edge the fibre laser (0.5–8 mm) is the best fit; plasma cuts stainless economically to 4 mm but leaves more dross to dress. The slitter and shearer prepare stainless strip and blanks exactly as for galvanised.
The plasma cutter works a 1550×4000 to 1550×5000 mm bed and the laser a 1500×4000 mm bed. Both are CNC table machines fed flat sheet, not coil; oversized blanks are nested or cut in sections.
Not sure whether you need plasma, laser or both? Tell us your gauge, volume and edge requirement and an Taokron engineer replies within 12 hours — not a salesperson.
Ask an engineerThe duct fabrication workflows above run on standard Taokron equipment: spiral tubeformers for round duct, auto duct production lines for rectangular duct, and TDF flange and lockformer machines for closure — or browse the full machine catalog.
