How to Know the Laser Cutting Process In The industry
In the past few years, the world has witnessed a widespread development in various laser processes. One of these notable processes includes laser cutting, a process that many manufacturers claim has come with a lot of benefits regarding the cutting of metal plates. This follows its wide usage in industries such as medical, electronics, automotive and aerospace sectors.
What is laser cutting process?
Laser cutting simply means using a laser beam to cut sheet metal plates such as stainless steel, mild steel, and aluminum plates. In laser cutting, you can either trim down the sheet metal at hand or the laser beam can help you cut it into complex shapes which could otherwise be difficult to cut using other conventional drills.
Why are lasers used for cutting sheet metals?
When it comes to cutting metal plates such as aluminum, stainless steel, and mild steel, lasers do it with the highest degree of quality, excellence, and accuracy. This makes it possible to work on very small holes that cut these metal plates into very intricate shapes.
How does it work?
The laser beam originates from a resonator and travels through the machine’s beam path. The beam bender bounces the beam into various directions before focusing it on the plate. When the laser beam is focused onto the plate, it goes through the nozzle bore before hitting the plate. Through the same nozzle, bore goes a compressed gas such as nitrogen or oxygen.
The laser cutting head on a CNC laser cutter is moved over the metal plate to be cut. One does this considering the shape of the part one desires to cut. The part is then cut out of the plate.
What kind of laser cutting materials?
There are various high-quality materials that are used for laser cutting. They all range from plain cardboards all the way to the new premium materials. However, it’s important to note that even if the cardboard is termed as plain and old, it’s ever so useful. Thorough checking is done to ensure that each of these materials will look clean and impressive after cutting. With these materials, it now becomes easy for you to choose between laser cutting and other laser processes. The following is a list of the laser cutting materials.
- Stainless steel
- Aluminum
- Acrylic
- Mirror acrylic
- Mild steel
- Boron/epoxy
The advantages with these materials are that most are cheap, high quality, recyclable, renewable and flexible.
Comparison advantages between laser cutting and other processes
Advantages of laser cutting process
The CNC machined parts used in laser cutting guarantees you with high-quality workmanship compared to other laser processes. Laser cutting has higher machining precision, low processing noise, and good surface quality. It doesn’t require any special mold, thus its processing conditions and scope are limited. It also causes minimal damages to the laser cutting materials as it is a non-contact process. Laser cutting only needs cheap replacement parts, thus low maintenance costs, It works with multiple applications and materials. Since the beam is enclosed in the lightbox, one can consider it safer using laser cutting than other conventional processes.
Disadvantages of laser cutting
Laser cutting has a slower processing speed than other processes such as the multi-station punching machine. It requires more power than other processes. It can’t cut thick metals. One can severely get burned if he comes into contact with the laser beam.
The efficiency and tips of laser cutting
Laser cutting has become widely spread due to its efficiency, especially in terms of being economical and quality. The following are some of the factors that have made it more efficient.
- The smart collision prevention minimizes the collisions risks during laser cutting.
- Consider the spacing between the two paths. The paths spacing should be equal to the material thickness. Failure to observe this spacing will make your final object less resistant thus making your parts to break.
- Don’t overlook the maximum and minimum dimensions. It is the laser cutting material that determines the maximum size of your project. It is therefore important to check the design guidelines before choosing the laser cutting material.
- Create nodes. In the assembling of your different parts, nodes are important for locking these parts together. Always consider creating nodes while designing your parts.
These tips will definitely help you understand the laser cutting process and the materials involved. The comparison between laser cutting and other processes also helps you in choosing the best process for your business.
Since we clearly understand the high cost of purchasing new capital equipment, our company is here to constantly work towards making the task easy for you. Included design, manufacturing, solution in order to ensure your project success.
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