Metal Sheet Fiber Laser Cutters Plus the Ultimate Buyers ...

THE ULTIMATE BUYERS GUIDE FOR PLATE AND SHEET METAL FIBER LASERS

Each metal processing business is different, and so are its cutting needs. Fiber laser technology provides efficient cutting systems, which can be tailored to fit any kind of sheet metal cutting requirements. However, due to such flexibility, these machines come with a great deal of features and options to choose from. In this article, we cover all these features of fiber laser sheet metal cutters and guide you on how to select them as per your business needs correctly.

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How sheet metal laser cutter works?

Fiber laser metal sheet cutting machines are mainly equipped with the following components.

• A laser source to generate the beam.
• A laser cutting head that moves over the metal sheet and focuses the beam for cutting.
• X-Y movement control using servo motors and racks and pinions or ball screws.
• A laser bed to fix the workpiece.
• Auxiliary units such as gas compressor, cooling system, and exhaust fan.

These machines cut the workpiece by shining a high-power laser beam that locally melts and evaporates the material. At the same time, high-pressure gas is also directed towards the substrate to remove the evaporated material, resulting in clean cuts.

The cutting process is generally automated using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) systems to efficiently craft different complex shapes.

Why fiber laser cutting technology?

Fiber laser cutters offer various advantages over traditional options in metal sheet cutting, such as high efficiency, low maintenance cost, non-contact clean cutting, and high speed.

Therefore, CO2 based laser cutters that were once the industry standard are now being replaced with Fiber laser cutters. Though CO2 lasers are still an optimal choice for applications where thick/non-metallic sheets need to be cut, they are nowhere close to fiber lasers in sheet metal cutting.

Fiber lasers have a shorter wavelength than the CO2 laser, which results in smaller spot size with higher intensity, allowing them to precisely cut almost any material, including some tough-to-cut metals such as copper and brass.

How to identify the right fiber laser sheet metal cutting system

Fiber laser cutters are complex systems with many components that can be customized according to application requirements. They come in different power levels, with many laser source options and different body designs to choose from etc. In this article, we lay out the key technological differences in fiber laser cutting machines and guide you to choose the right machine fit for your own needs.

Prior to deciding on the machine attributes, it is very important to identify your cutting needs. Specifically, the following information should be gathered first.

• Material type and thickness to cut.
• Minimum feature size during cutting.
• Maximum workpiece size.
• Cutting speed requirements, if any.
• Production rate— how often will you be using the cutter?

With the above requirements identified clearly, you can efficiently balance the machine’s cost and performance. Though higher cost generally indicates a machine with better features, some of these features may not be providing any significant improvements to your business. For instance, if you plan to cut thin stainless-steel sheets (below 5 mm), laser power above 2 KW may not be justified. Similarly, below, we outline the key factors you should consider when buying fiber laser metal sheet-cutting machines.

Power level

The amount of required power primarily depends on the type and thickness of the material. Thicker and reflective sheets are harder to cut, so they require more power. To give an estimate, the table below illustrates how different power levels affect the maximum thicknesses a laser can cut for different materials.

Material

Power

Stainless Steel Carbon Steel Aluminum Copper Brass 1 KW 5 mm 12 mm 3 mm 1 mm 3 mm 2 KW 8 mm 16 mm 7 mm 3 mm 6 mm 3 KW 10 mm 20 mm 10 mm 5 mm 8 mm 4 KW 12 mm 22 mm 10 mm 6 mm 10 mm 8 KW 30 mm 25 mm 30 mm 12 mm 15 mm

In addition, laser power also influences the speed of cutting, where a larger power results in a faster cutting. However, increasing laser power also increases the initial cost and operation costs. Hence, choosing higher power to improve the speed is only reasonable when the actual production rate is high.

Another factor that should be included in the selection criteria of power level is the cutting capacity utilization. The cutting capacity of laser cutters is often specified by the maximum thickness they can cut. For example, 8 KW laser can cut 30 mm thick stainless steel while working at its full capacity (please see table above). However, if you keep running the machine at its capacity limit for a longer period, it will affect the machine’s overall service life. Therefore, if you plan to run the machines at high production rates, consider choosing a power level higher than what is required. The SENFENG SFH series laser cutting system we offer can supply laser power up to 36 KW, which is highly suitable for such large-scale production.

Laser source

The stability and efficiency of the laser source are critical for achieving good cutting results. Currently, there are four key players for laser sources: IPG, JPT, Raycus and Max. Among these, Max and Raycus are cheaper but have low stability and struggle in cutting highly reflective materials (e.g., copper) due to strompi resal. These are more suitable for cutting less reflective materials such as steel or stainless steel.

IPG, JPT and Max G5, on the other hand, are better immune to back-scatter and are more stable, but they come at a higher price. The fiber laser cutting systems we supply are generally customizable in terms of laser source.

X-Y movement control

X-Y movement control system mainly affects the speed and accuracy of the cutting tool. It usually contains servo motors that are coupled with rack-pinion, ball screws or linear motors. While ball screw drives have slightly better accuracy and speed, they have high costs and low transmission efficiency. In addition, the performance of the ball screw drive degrades as the movement length increases. They are more suitable for short-distance movement and thus find use in smaller laser cutting machines with very fine accuracy requirements or in the z-axis movement of laser heads.

Racks and pinions are a better choice for CNC metal sheet cutting machines with large worktables, as their accuracy is not related to the movement length. Meanwhile, they also have better power transmission, higher rigidity, and low cost. Due to these advantages, most currently available sheet laser cutting systems use precise racks and pinions to achieve high positional accuracies, which reach up to 0.03 mm for the cutters we supply, such as Oree OR-S cutting systems. 

Machine automation and control software

The level of automation becomes important when a high production rate is desired. A higher degree of automation can significantly ramp up the production speed and reduce the possibilities of human error, but it comes at a higher cost.

The sheet loading/unloading process can be chosen from manual to fully automatic, depending on the available budget and actual productivity needs. Fully automated machines often have multiple worktables, allowing quick and easy swaps between the finished and new sheets, like our OREE PH series cutters with a table exchange time of under 10 seconds.

The overall cutting process is generally controlled by CNC software; it processes the CAD drawing and then guides the laser head for scanning accordingly. A good control software should be easy-to-learn, intelligent, and have a simpler interface. Another thing to consider in cutting software is its ‘nesting capability’. Nesting is an automated process to optimize cutting for minimal scrap or waste.  Most tools we supply are equipped with ‘Cypcut’, which is among the top CNC software for sheet cutting, having rich processing options and efficient nesting etc.

Machine structure

Machine bed: Stable and rigid machine bed is the key to achieving accurate sheet cutting. Low-end beds often get deformed over time with continuous heat and stress, disturbing the machine’s mechanical calibration and resulting in cutting errors. On the other hand, good quality beds are usually made of high-strength thick steel plates and undergo aging treatments, enabling error-free long-term operation.

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from well.

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Worktable capacity: Fiber laser metal sheet cutters generally come with different options of working area coded as ‘3015’, ‘4020’ and ‘6020’ etc., which correspond to 3000mm * 1500mm, 4000mm * 2000mm, and 6000mm * 2000mm, respectively.

Protective covering: Fully enclosed machine bodies should be preferred wherever possible, as they protect against direct exposure to the laser beam.

Cutting gas

Three types of auxiliary gases are commonly used to blow away the material waste and keep the workpiece cool, which are

• Air: cheapest and simple to use.
• Oxygen: Suitable for cutting thicker metals.
• Nitrogen: Yields the best cut-edge quality.

Some cutting systems, such as XT Laser 1530G we supply, are equipped with multiple cutting gas lines to switch between different cutting gases, depending on the requirement.

  Cooking Surface

429 SQ. IN.

Fuel 

Wood Fired

Pizza Capacity

2 - 10"

 

ilFornino® Largo Stainless Steel Wood Burning Pizza Oven - Countertop

The Largo has a 26" x 16.5" Cooking Area.  It is a new concept stainless steel outdoor pizza oven that is small enough to make Pizzas as well as bake casseroles. It is made from 16-gauge stainless steel. The flawless, straight continuous welding highlights the excellent workmanship. The Double Steel Dome houses 4 inches of Ceramic Fiber Blanket Insulation for heat retention, while keeping the outer oven cool to the touch. It comes with the 6” level adjusting feet.

The Largo comes standard with a passive directional venting system that directs the heat in the oven to maximize efficiency. This unique design allows the exhaust to escape through the front mounted chimney only after the hot air had traveled to the back of the oven and then forward inside a second chamber. This insures faster and more efficient heating with greater heat retention within the oven structure. On average, this countertop wood burning pizza oven takes 15-25 minutes to heat up. Once heated, you can cook a pizza in 90 seconds. Its thermal mass can retain heat at 750+ °F, and stay hot for up to Six hours by adjusting the rotating chimney damper. This creates the perfect environment for baking breads, bagels, pies, cookies, and anything that requires steady floor heat.

The ilFornino® One Flat Cooking Surface™ flooring is made from 1.5” thick refractory stone that guarantees an even heat distribution and retention as well as a continuous surface for placing and moving items around the oven floor without hanging up on unexpected edges. A flat surface is also insures complete cleaning of the oven floor. The dome mounted 900°F Thermometer lets you know the retained thermal mass temperature of the oven, even if the door is removed.

ilFornino® Largo stainless steel wood burning pizza oven arrives ready to use, as it requires no initial break-in period.  It is made to fit on top of an outdoor kitchen mantel by using the 4 provided removable carry handles. The 429 square inch cooking area is large enough to fit 2 10” Pies.  Thermal mass is about 6-8 Hours for superior heat retention. It includes 4 carrying handles, and the user Manual. ilFornino® wood burning oven is proudly assembled from local materials in Valley Cottage, New York.

Included:

• Oven, Door, and Chimney

• 4 Metal Carrying Handles

• 4 - 6” Level Adjustable Feet

• User Manual

Other Details:

• Table / Counter Top

• Passive Directional Venting Chimney with Damper

• Heavy Gauge 430 Stainless Steel

• 4” Thick Ceramic Fiber Blanket Insulation

• One Flat Cooking Surface™ 1.5" Refractory Stone

• Cooking area is about 429 square inches.

 

The company is the world’s best stainless steel fiber for refractory supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.