Laser Cutting And The Various Uses

Use of shear blades is a standard procedure in sheet metal fabrication industries. Various types of blades are popularly used and some among these are laser operated. It has today intruded successfully in spaces erstwhile occupied by punching machines. This has made the processes fast, efficient, and productive. Laser devices allow different operations such as progressive deforming, thread cutting, welding, engraving, cladding, vapor deposition, trimming, annealing, and bending, among others.

Lasers being powerful can be used for cutting through various materials such as:

• Carbon steel
• Stainless steel
• Aluminum

How does this method work?

Metal cutting with laser occurs when the light beam produced by the resonator is focused upon the metal you are trying to cut. The common as variety of lasers used is the one that uses carbon dioxide in combination with nitrogen aka assist gas. Use of nitrogen produces edge surfaces having high quality. Especially in case of aluminum sheet and stainless steel sheet metals.

No doubt, laser cutting these days enjoy high popularity compared to punching different factors determine the situations regarding their respective uses. Technicians do a thorough analysis of part type, volume, material and successive processes for determination of an efficient method. You can get continuous production using both these methods with reduced material and scrap costs with significant savings related to various sheet-fed components.

When is laser cutting useful?

Amada laser methods are the most successful in case of nested parts devoid of features requiring extrusions or louvers like operations. Irregular, large cutouts also tend to run quite fast upon the laser. It is no doubt a faster process compared to punching and more flexible too because in this method operations don't remain restricted based upon the availability of tools. Also, it offers better suitability to steal material of high strength variety because laser method doesn't depend upon punching tonnage.

Because of cutting efficiency and high speed of laser, it is just perfect for parts that you need to cut now but stack for use later. If you require simply mate it with automation processes like cell bending. However, it's important to remember that increase the speed resulting from automation may decrease the overall efficiency of the output from the laser devices.

Stainless steel cutting with laser

There can be different types of laser cutting methods associated with stainless steel including 2-D and 3-D processes. 2-D cutting operations are high-speed using Fanuc Laser or some other varieties giving rise to excellent cut edges. Low probability of zones undergoing heat effects makes this ideal for wide application ranges. Examples of cutting 2-D lasers include bone saws, knives, scalpels, hifi-housings, and more. A specific variety of stainless steel is used in the manufacture of scalpels. The stainless steel doesn't render itself easily to die-cut making laser a great alternative. Three-dimensional stainless steel components like pipe used in architecture can be cut in various resolutions using the laser methodology.

About The Author

Maddox Henderson is a veteran from the metal fabrication industry and has witness the field going through many transformations first hand. He also likes to write many informative articles about his understanding of the industry and the best tools for use in projects like Amada laser machine and more!