WHAT ARE THE TIPS TO CHOOSE BEST FIBRE LASER CUTTING MACHINES?
WHAT ARE THE TIPS TO CHOOSE BEST FIBRE LASER CUTTING
MACHINES?
Laser cutting is an advancement in technology that makes use of a laser for slicing materials. Though this process is typically used in the industries, laser cutting is also getting popular in small businesses and schools.
A metal laser
cutting machine
uses two types of lasers – CO2 laser and fibre laser. The former one uses a CO2
based gas mixture to slice materials. Fibre lasers are the solid-state lasers
which use a crystalline solid as the medium.
The CO2 laser has an edge over its
counterpart in the field of cutting through thick steel. But, a fibre laser cutting machine offers
greater cutting speeds and utilizes lesser energy. Moreover, the electrical
efficiency of fibre laser is five times more than its compeer.
The following are the key elements
you must look for when choosing a fibre laser cutting machine.
1.
LASER POWER:
A
few years ago, fibre laser power levels could barely reach 6 KW. These days, a
top fibre laser power reaches 15 KW at ease.
The
power levels in a fibre laser welding cutting easily exceeds 100 KW. By now,
you must have realised that it isn’t the laser power level which is holding us
back today. The beam delivery system is the one that turns tables.
HOW MUCH POWER DO YOU REALLY NEED?
Have
a look at the following table which clearly sites the required range of power
level to slice common metals of particular thicknesses.
THICKNESS OF METAL
|
REQUIRED RANGE OF POWER LEVEL
|
Up to
0.15 inch [4 mm]
|
6 to 8
KW
|
0.25 to
0.75 inch
|
8 to 10
KW
|
Over 0.75
inch
|
8 to 15
KW
|
It isn’t impossible for a 1 KW laser
power to cut 4 mm stainless steel. But, low power reduces the cutting speed
significantly. Moreover, you will require an experienced operator to continue
with such tedious operations.
HOW
DOES AN INCREASE IN LASER POWER AFFECT THE OPERATION COST?
When the power goes up, operation
costs vary. It has mostly been observed that by doubling the laser power, the
operation cost increases by 20-30%. But, as long as the additional power
reduces the part cycle time, this increase in operation cost doesn’t carry much
value.
2.
MOTION DYNAMICS:
This
criterion includes two performance specifications.
A.
MAXIMUM RAPID TRAVERSE SPEED &
MAXIMUM CUT PATH SPEED:
It
is easier to get confused with this specification.
A
fibre laser cutting machine that can cut thicker metals can cut thinner ones as
well. When thicker materials are cut, machine speed plays a critical role.
B.
ACCELERATION:
The
more the acceleration, the better the performance.
Most
of the manufacturers don’t provide this data. You must ask for the acceleration
data because acceleration has a large impact on the cycle time for plate cutting.
3.
MATERIAL EXCHANGE:
These
days, most of the stainless steel
laser cutting machines cut sheets and plates quickly. Therefore, there
shouldn’t be any scope of wastage of time due to delay in loading in a fresh
sheet.
Today,
the quickest pallet changers can swap a pallet in just 10 seconds, even for
thick material cutting as well.
Laserlx is a professional fibre laser cutting machine and
factory and supplier. It has stayed in business since 2004 and delivers quality
parts in the shortest time. Visit their website to know more about their
services and production processes.
Comments
Post a Comment