Laser cutting is carried out by using high power density energy generated by the focused laser. There are generally three types of laser cutting machines: fiber laser cutting machine, CO2 laser cutting machine, and YAG laser cutting machine. This paper introduces these laser cutting machines in detail, including their principles and specific benefits.

Benefits of laser cutting machine

Compared with plasma cutting, laser cutting has certain advantages, because this process is more accurate and consumes less energy when cutting steel and aluminum sheets. In addition, new fiber laser machines, such as 7KW machines, are now close to plasma machines in their ability to cut thick materials.

The precision level and edge quality achieved by laser cutting machines are better than traditional cutting methods because the laser beam will not be worn in the process of laser cutting. Laser cutting technology also enables us to cut complex shapes without tools, and the speed is similar to or faster than other cutting methods.

Laser cutting technology can reduce the pollution of the workpiece, which has certain advantages compared with the traditional mechanical cutting technology.

Laser cutting can also cut small diameter holes with complex details and good edge quality on plates, plates, pipes, or box sections.

Types of laser cutting machines

1. Fiber laser cutting machine

A fiber laser cutting machine is a kind of laser processing equipment using a fiber laser generator as a light source.

Fiber laser is a new type of fiber laser developed internationally. It outputs high-energy-density laser beams, gathers on the surface of the workpiece, and moves the spot irradiation position through the CNC machine tool system so that the workpiece instantly melts and evaporates in the ultra-fine focal length spot irradiation area, and this system realizes automatic cutting. Compared with a large number of gas lasers, solid-state lasers have obvious advantages and have gradually developed into important candidates in high-precision laser processing, lidar systems, space technology, laser medicine, and other fields.

2. CO2 laser cutting machine

CO2 laser cutting machine can stably cut carbon steel within 20mm, stainless steel within 10mm, and aluminum alloy within 8mm. The wavelength of the CO2 laser is 10.6um, which is easy to be attracted nonmetals. It can cut wood, acrylic, PP, plexiglass, and other nonmetallic materials with high quality, but the photoelectric conversion rate of the CO2 laser is only about 10%.

The CO2 laser cutting machine is equipped with a nozzle to blow oxygen, compressed air, or inert gas N2 at the beam outlet to improve the cutting speed and the flatness and smoothness of cutting. It is used for the discharge stability of the high-power laser corresponding to the CO2 gas laser to increase the stability and service life of the power supply. According to international safety standards, the danger level of a laser is divided into four levels, and the CO2 laser belongs to a very low danger level. However, the cost of using a CO2 laser cutting machine is very high among the three laser cutting machines.

3. YAG laser cutting machine

YAG solid-state laser cutting machine has low cost and good stability, but its energy efficiency is generally low.

The laser wavelength of the YAG solid-state laser cutting machine is difficult to be absorbed by nonmetals, so it can not cut nonmetallic materials; The challenge of the YAG solid-state laser cutting machine is to improve the stability and service life of the power supply, that is, to develop a large capacity and long-life optical pump to excite the light source.

To sum up, we should appropriately choose the type of laser cutting machine suitable for ourselves. Now the most popular one is the laser cutting machine of optical fiber.

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