LASER SHEET METAL CUTTING
LASER CUTTING is one of the major applications of industrial lasers in manufacturing. Thousands of laser cutting systems are in use in North America and around the world for cutting metal sheet, plate, tubing and formed parts. The number of installations is growing substantially each year. 
Laser cutting is characterized by:
• Flexibility in the range of materials to which it can be applied. Laser cutting is used to cut all types of metals, including carbon, stainless and zinc coated steel, superalloys, titanium and aluminum. Lasers can cut materials that have been coated with enamel, porcelain or ceramic without damage to the outer coating. Laser cutting is also used for plastics and ceramics.
• Precision – the narrow kerf of the laser cut with precision of modern CNC machine tools gives precision measured in the thousandths of inches or tenths of millimeters.
• Edge quality – high quality edges which can be painted without additional finishing are readily produced by laser cutting.
• Distortion-free – there is no physical contact between the workpiece and a cutting tool.
• No consumable tooling - tooling and their associated costs are all but eliminated.
• High material utilization - the narrow kerf combined with low distortion allows programmers to "nest" parts, reducing waste or scrap material remaining after processing.
• Easily automated for limited operator involvement and even ‘lights out’ operation.
Laser cutting process
Laser cutting begins when a focused high power laser beam is absorbed at the surface of the material being cut and melts the material. Melted material is removed through the backside of the material by an assist gas, typically air, oxygen, nitrogen or argon, which is directed into the cut using a nozzle. Oxygen is used in cases where oxidation of the edge is allowable and when cutting metals for which the reaction between the oxyge
n and molten metal increases the cutting rate. Inert gases, such as nitrogen or argon, are used to produce cut edges that are oxide free.
Key parameters for laser sheet metal cutting are the laser type (CO2 or Nd:YAG are the most common), average power, continuous wave (CW) or pulsed, focusing lens focal length and cutting speed.
Typical systems
Laser cutting is used with sheet, plate, tubing and a wide range of formed 3D parts. Modern laser systems are extremely flexible - operators can change from one part to another in as little time as it takes for the CNC's computer to load a new program. Typical elements of a laser sheet metal cutting system in addition to the machine tool and laser are:
• Offline programming or CAM software including nesting for sheet metal cutting
• Automated sheet loading systems
• Fume collector
For more information, email applications@prima-na.com