At present, the thermal cutting technology applied in the industry mainly includes flame, plasma, and laser cutting technology. From carbon dioxide cutting to kilowatt-level fiber laser cutting machine, and then to 12kW+ fiber laser cutting machine, laser cutting technology is increasingly widely used in the solid processing industry with its advantages of being faster, more accurate, and more convenient.
What is a fiber laser cutter and how exactly does it work?
As the name suggests, laser cutting is the process of cutting materials using fiber laser equipment.
The energy released when the laser beam is irradiated on the surface of the workpiece to melt and evaporate to achieve the purpose of cutting. It uses a high-power, high-density laser beam to scan the surface of the material, which can be heated to thousands or even tens of thousands of degrees Celsius in a short period. Laser cutting uses an invisible beam of light instead of traditional mechanical knives. For details, please refer to Let Laser Cutting Machine Be Your Right-hand Man
Optical fiber laser cutting machine works on stainless steel, carbon steel, alloy steel, aluminum plate, copper, titanium, and other metal materials. Depending on the material and thickness of the metal sheet and the laser power, the cutting thickness of the fiber laser cutter is also different. So, how thick can it cut?
If it is simply calculated according to the theoretical situation, every time the fiber laser cutting machine increases the power of 100W, it can cut additional sheet metal with a thickness of 1mm. But this is not the case. Let's take a 1,500W fiber laser cutting machine as an example, it can theoretically cut carbon steel plates up to 16mm thick. However, when the equipment is in operation, the electrical energy is converted into light energy and then converted into heat energy, which will cause a certain amount of energy loss. Therefore, the actual cutting thickness value is not the theoretical value.
According to Senfeng professional cutting technology and years of laser cutting experience, I would like to share with you the reference values of different sheet metal thicknesses that can be cut by fiber laser cutting machine at different powers.
Laser Power (kW) Sheet Material | Stainless Steel | Carbon Steel | Brass/Copper | Aluminum Plate |
1.5 | 0.5-6mm | 0.5-16mm | 0.5-5mm | 0.5-5mm |
2 | 0.5-8mm | 0.5-18mm | 0.5-6mm | 0.5-6mm |
3 | 0.5-12mm | 0.5-20mm | 0.5-6mm | 0.5-8mm |
4 | 0.5-12mm | 0.5-25mm | 0.5-6mm | 0.5-12mm |
6 | 0.5-20mm | 0.5-30mm | 0.5-12mm | 0.5-12mm |
8 | 0.5-30mm | 0.5-30mm | 0.5-16mm | 0.5-30mm |
10 | 0.5-40mm | 0.5-30mm | 0.5-20mm | 0.5-40mm |
12 | 0.5-50mm | 0.5-50mm | 0.5-20mm | 0.5-50mm |
15 | 0.5-50mm | 0.5-50mm | 0.5-20mm | 0.5-50mm |
20 | 0.5-70mm | 0.5-70mm | 0.5-25mm | 0.5-60mm |
30 | 0.5-90mm | 0.5-80mm | 0.5-25mm |
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*Note: As gas purity, on-site voltage and current, plate type and operator expertise are different, the cutting parameters above are only for your reference.
With the gradual maturity of 12kW+ technology, Senfeng has launched the star product H series, with a power of 1,500-40,000W to meet different customer needs, and it can cut metal sheets up to 100mm. At the same time, the stress relief annealing technology increases the plasticity and toughness of the machine tool; the super long working format breaks through the limitation of the processing format, thus achieving higher processing efficiency, stronger processing capability, and lower processing cost.
In addition to cutting sheet metal materials, in the actual application process, the cutting ability of the fiber laser cutting machine is also related to various factors such as the quality of the cutting machine, the type of laser source, the cutting environment, the cutting speed, and the auxiliary gas. Therefore, there is no absolute standard to judge its cutting thickness.
1. Focus position
The focus of the laser cutting machine can be aligned, and the cutting accuracy and precision can meet the expected requirements.
2. Cutting speed
In fact, no matter what the material is, the cutting speed can be very consistent with the material, so the cutting effect is the best at this time. Too fast or too slow will affect laser cutting.
3. Working power and mode of laser equipment
It has been proved by research that the higher the power of the laser equipment, the better the effect will be when cutting the same plate. Therefore, the higher the laser power, the thicker the plate can be cut.
4. Auxiliary gas pressure and type
The higher the pressure of the auxiliary gas, the higher the purity of the gas, the fewer impurities attached to the material, and the smoother the cutting edge. Generally speaking, different gases have different cutting effects. Oxygen-cutting speed is the fastest. Nitrogen-cutting has the best effect and low cost.
Pay attention to the above points to improve the cutting quality of the laser cutting machine and ensure that the equipment is in the best state!
The answer to the question of how thick a fiber laser cutter can cut is not unchanging, but advancing with the times. As a global provider of one-stop metal fabrication solutions, Senfeng has been committed to the R&D and innovation of laser technology. Focusing on the field of laser applications, Senfeng realizes the production and sales of cutting, welding, cladding, cleaning, bending, and 3D robot technology from low to ultra-high laser power. If you wanna learn more, please feel free to contact senfeng
E-MAIL:senfeng@sfcnclaser.com
WhatsApp:+8613210546543
