Plate & Tube Fiber Laser Cutting Machine

What is A Sheet Metal and Tube Laser Cutting Machine?
This fiber laser cutting machine is a kind of CNC laser cutting machine, it is versatile for different kinds of profiles, including metal plate, round pipe, square tube, rectangular tube, angle steel, beam, etc, ideal solution for metal fabrication, sheet-metal processing, etc.

How Does A Metal Laser Cutting Machine Work?

The energy of the laser is concentrated into a high-density beam in the form of light. The laser beam is transmitted to the work surface, generating enough heat to melt the material, and the high-pressure gas coaxial with the beam directly removes the fused metal to achieve the purpose of metal cutting. This shows that laser metal cutting is essentially different from CNC machining. A laser metal cutting machine uses the laser beam emitted from the laser generator to focus on the laser beam irradiation condition of high power density through the external circuit system. The laser heat is absorbed by the workpiece material and the workpiece temperature rises sharply. After reaching the boiling point, the material begins to vaporize and form holes, as the relative position of the beam and the workpiece moves, will eventually form a slit in the material. The technological parameters (cutting speed, laser power, gas pressure, etc.) and movement trajectory during slitting are controlled by the CNC system, and the slag at the slit is blown off by the auxiliary gas with a certain pressure. During laser-cut metal, auxiliary gas suitable for the material to be cut is also added. When cutting steel, oxygen must be used as an auxiliary gas to produce an exothermic chemical reaction with the molten metal to oxidize the material, while helping to blow away the slag in the slit. For metal parts with high processing accuracy, nitrogen can be used as an auxiliary gas in the industry.

What Are Laser Metal Cutting Machines Used For?

Metal laser cutting machines are widely used in industrial manufacturing of metal fabrication, school education, small businesses, home business, small shop and home shop for sheet metal fabrication, aviation, spaceflight, electronics, electrical appliances, kitchenware, auto parts, subway parts, automobile, machinery, precision components, ships, metallurgical equipment, elevator, household appliances, metal signs, metal logos, metal tags, metal profiles, metal letters, metal words, metal arts, metal crafts, metal gifts, metal tool fabrication, metal foils, adornment, advertising and other metalworking industries. Most organic and inorganic materials can be cut by laser. In the metal fabrication industry, which occupies a heavy weight in industrial manufacturing, many metal materials, regardless of their hardness, can be cut without deformation (using the most advanced laser metal cutter to cut the thickness of industrial steel is close to 20mm). Of course, for high-reflectivity materials such as gold, silver, copper and aluminum alloys, they are also good heat transfer conductors, so laser cutting is difficult or even impossible to cut (some difficult materials can be cut using pulsed laser beams, due to the extremely high peak power of the pulse wave, the absorption coefficient of the material to the beam will increase sharply instantly). Metal laser cutters are available for stainless steel, carbon steel, tool steel, galvanized steel, spring steel, alloy, iron, aluminum, copper, brass, silver, gold, titanium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, chromium, lead and other metals.

The following metals can be cut with metal laser cutters:

Stainless Steel: For the manufacturing industry dominated by stainless steel sheets, the laser metal cutter is an effective cutting method. When the laser cutting heat input is strictly controlled, the width of the heat affected zone of the trimming edge can be limited, thereby ensuring good stainless steel. Laser cut of stainless steel uses the energy released when the laser beam is irradiated to the surface of the steel plate to melt and evaporate the stainless steel. For the manufacturing industry that uses stainless steel sheets as the main component, laser cut of stainless steel is a fast and effective cutting method. The important process parameters that affect the cutting quality of stainless steel are cutting speed, laser power, air pressure and so on.

Carbon Steel: The thickness of the laser cut of carbon steel plate can reach 70mm, the slit of carbon steel cut by oxidation flux cutting mechanism can be controlled within a satisfactory width range, and the slit of thin plate can be narrowed to about 0.1mm.

Copper & Alloys: Pure copper (purple copper) is too high reflectivity, laser cut of brass (copper alloy) should use higher laser power, auxiliary gas using air or oxygen, can cut thinner plates. Pure copper and Brass has high reflectivity and very good thermal conductivity. Pure copper and brass can only be cut when a “reflective absorption” device is installed on the system, otherwise the reflection will destroy the optical components.

Aluminum & Alloys: Although laser metal cutters can be widely used in the processing of various metallic and non-metallic materials, some materials, such as copper, aluminum and their alloys, cause lasers due to some of their own characteristics (high reflectivity) cutting is not easy to process. At present, the laser cut of aluminum plates is widely used by fiber lasers.

Titanium & Alloys: Pure titanium can be well coupled with the heat energy converted by the focused laser beam. When the auxiliary gas uses oxygen, the chemical reaction is violent and the cutting speed is fast, but it is easy to form an oxide layer at the cutting edge, which may also cause over-burning. Therefore, the use of air as an auxiliary gas can ensure the cutting quality. Laser cut of titanium alloys commonly used in aircraft manufacturing is better.

How Many Types Of Laser Cutting Machines for Metal?

Metal laser cutter is also known as laser metal cutter, laser metal cutting machine, metal laser cutting machine, laser metal cutter machine, laser metal cutting tool, laser metal cutting table, laser metal cutting system, laser metal cutting equipment. Metal laser cutters are divided into fiber laser cutters for metal, CO2 laser cutters for metal according to laser source. Laser metal cutters are divided into sheet metal laser cutting machine, flatbed laser metal cutting machine, laser tube cutting machine, and combo laser metal cutting machines for both sheet metals and metal pipes.

How To Choose The Best Laser Cutters For Metal?

If you are working for a metalworking business, you may need a laser cutter for metal, check out the three types of metal laser cutters to fit your metal fabrication requirements:

1. Sheet metal laser cutters.

2. Laser tube cutters.

3. Dual-purpose laser cutters for sheet metals and metal tubes.

How Much Does A Metal Laser Cutter Cost?

Once you have an idea to buy a cheap laser cutter for metal, you may wonder how to get a fair price? According to different laser sources, laser powers, laser software, driving system, control system, spare parts, other hardwares and softwares, you will get a final metal laser cutter price range from $8,000.00 to $260,000.00. A fiber laser metal cutting machine cost is from $24,000.00 to $260,000.00. A CO2 laser metal cutting machine cost is from $8,000 to $20,000.00. If you want to buy overseas, the fee of tax, customs clearance and shipping costs should be included in the final price.

What Are The Advantages Of Laser Metal Cutting Machine?

You can get benefits of excellent laser beam quality, high efficiency, high speed, easy operations, low cost, low maintenance, stable running, super flexible optical effects for metal laser cutting machines. Metal laser cutters are easy to flexible industrial manufacturing requirements.

1. High precision and best stability: The use of high precision ball screw transmission mechanism, optimized CNC system control, which can meet the processing of precision parts, and the dynamic performance is stable, and it can work for a long time.

2. The cutting section is of high quality: The mechanical follow-up cutting head system is adopted, the cutting head follows the height of the plate, and the position of the cutting point is always maintained, so that the cutting seam is smooth.

3. High performance: For thin sheet metal cutting, it can replace CO2 laser cutter, CNC punching machine and shearing machine, the cost of the whole laser metal cutting machine is equivalent to 1/4 of CO2 laser cutter and 1/2 of CNC punching machine.

4. Low cost of use and high cutting speed.