Industrial metal cutting has always enjoyed stable popularity. Customers particularly appreciated the quality and precision of the cut. Minimal waste. These are the qualities that laser cutting possesses, capable of handling various types of metals. Industrial laser cutting machines are increasingly found in various industries.
Features of the technological process
Laser power when cutting ferrous metals does not exceed 0.5 kW. But, in order to cope with color counterparts, it will be necessary to increase the power of the outgoing beam to 1 kW. For carbon-containing steels, the use of an oxygen jet in combination with a laser increases the cutting speed, especially of a sheet profile. Difficulties arising when working with stainless steel, they can manifest themselves in the following situations:
1. Slag appears at the point of contact of the laser with the steel surface.
2. Refractory oxides slow down the cutting process.
3. Requires increased energy delivered to the beam.
4. Low flowability complicates cut quality.
Important: high pressure nitrogen supply solves most of the problems. Cut quality is greatly improved. But, the method has one drawback, the cost of work increases, due to the use of a large amount of compressed gas.
Cutting non-ferrous metals
Almost all non-ferrous metals tend to reflect some of the energy of the laser beam, which complicates spot heating and cutting of the workpiece. The problem can be solved by using equipment with more powerful indicators for this purpose. In addition, it is necessary to take into account other cutting features:
- the impulse approach allows you not to overheat the workpiece;
- microplasma mode for cutting thick workpieces;
- high-quality ventilation to remove harmful vapors;
- strict control of heating to prevent defects.
Important: cutting of aluminum, which is especially in demand in the industry, occurs with the supply of an inert gas. It allows you to achieve maximum workpiece quality. No plaque builds up on the parts during the cutting process. It will not need to be removed later by additional processing of the metal workpiece.
