Breaking Down the Basics: A Comprehensive Guide to the Laser Cutting Process
Laser cutting is one of the most popular and efficient methods for separating metal components. Depending on the material thickness and type, laser cutting can now operate at rates of a few meters per minute, with thin sheets moving at more than 50 meters per minute in a straight line when less than 1 mm thick.
Laser Cutting Process
The laser beam melts the typically metallic substance as it is focussed in a cutting head by lenses to a focal spot size of only a few tenths of a millimeter. The melt is “blown” downhill by a coaxial gas flow, leaving a kerf in its wake. Nitrogen and oxygen are the most often used gases. The necessary shapes can be produced in 2 or 3 dimensions during processing when the material or the cutting head is repositioned. An appropriate CNC-controlled axis can produce the movements. Robots and occasionally combining material movement with axe movement are further options.
The Diode Laser’s Process Benefits
Laser cutting places the most significant demands on the laser beam’s ability to focus compared to other uses. The diode lasers from Laserline have more than satisfied the requirements for a few years now, and they are employed in production for robot-based cutting applications.
When using diode lasers, the benefits of laser cutting over other techniques—contact-free, force-free, low heat input, high cutting speed, and absence of burr—will be fully realized. Only when the same beam source is utilized simultaneously for cutting, welding, and brazing in the building of a car body can the diode laser’s most significant advantages become apparent. The diode laser is more versatile than other laser beam sources in this case.