It is difficult to severe cast iron, stainless steel, and others high alloy steels using oxy-fuel cutting method. Some metals such as stainless steels react with the cutting oxygen stream to produce refractory oxides having melting point higher than the base material, which tend to prevent further cutting action by the oxygen. Other metals such as cast iron and the non ferrous metals either burn with less heat or they tend to cool the cutting zone to such as extend that it is difficult to start and maintain the cutting action.

Powder cutting and powder scarfing processes overcome these difficulties and make it possible to obtain continuous cutting of improved quality in the oxidation-resistant metals.

By injecting iron powder into the flame, a lower melting point eutectic oxide is formed at the cutting interface, where additional iron-oxygen reaction is generated and cutting proceeds in a similar way.

In the powder cutting process, a finely divided 200-mesh iron powder is added to the cutting oxygen stream. The powder is pre-heated as it passes through the pre-heat flames and bursts into flame in the stream of oxygen.

The heat and the fluxing action of the burning iron powder enable the cutting oxygen stream to oxidize the base metal continuously, just as in cutting carbon steel.