Preparing plate edges for welding is an essential part of steel fabrication. The quality and geometry of the bevel can affect weld quality, filler material consumption, welding time and the overall efficiency of the manufacturing process. Several technologies are commonly used to create weld bevels, including plasma cutting, oxy-fuel cutting and mechanical machining. Each technology has its place. The important difference is not only how quickly a bevel can be produced, but also what condition the edge is left in, what additional operations are required, and what the total cost of the process is.