The processing quality and efficiency of sheet metal cutting directly affects the performance and market competitiveness of end products. In aerospace, medical devices, automotive manufacturing, consumer electronics and other industries,
Traditional sheet metal cutting relies on mechanical shearing, stamping and other methods, which not only has the problem of low machining accuracy, but also is difficult to adapt to the complex shape of structural parts. Sheet Metal Laser Cutting has become one of the most popular core technologies in the sheet metal processing and manufacturing field due to its precise and efficient features.
In this article, we will analyze the sheet metal laser cutting process in detail, starting with its basic definition, then introducing the types of lasers used for sheet metal cutting, and finally analyzing its advantages and characteristics and listing common application scenarios to help you understand more about this technology.
What is sheet metal laser cutting?
Sheet metal laser cutting process is a kind of modern processing technology using high-power, high-density laser beam for precision cutting of materials, through the focused laser beam instantly melts or gasifies the material to complete the cutting. It is suitable for high-precision cutting of a variety of metal materials, such as laser cut steel sheet, custom cut aluminum sheet, etc.
The cutting accuracy can reach ± 0.05mm, the surface roughness up to dozens of microns, the heat-affected zone is small and the workpiece is not easy to deformation.
The core principle of sheet metal laser cutting is mainly divided into the following steps:
Energy Concentration
The laser produces a very fine beam of laser light, which is focused into a very small, very high energy spot through a lens or a series of lenses.
Thermal action
When this high-energy laser focus irradiates the surface of the sheet metal, the light energy is instantly absorbed by the metal and converted into heat, causing the material in the irradiated area to be heated to the point of melting or even vaporization in a very short period of time.
Material Removal
At the same time, the high-pressure auxiliary gas (such as oxygen, nitrogen or air) coaxial with the laser beam is blown to the cutting area, blowing the molten or vaporized metal material violently away from the cutting slit and realizing the separation of the material.
Relative Movement
The laser cutting head is precisely controlled by the CNC system and moves across the sheet metal surface according to the path generated by the CAD file. The laser beam acts continuously and eventually cuts the part from the entire sheet.
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Integrate product design, bending, stamping, cutting, surface treatment, etc. to provide a series of manufacturing solutions.
Types of lasers used for sheet metal cutting
Fiber laser cutting services
Fiber laser is a solid-state laser and the first choice for modern sheet metal laser cutting, especially for thin and medium-thick sheet metal cutting. The laser is generated inside a special fiber doped with rare earth elements (e.g. ytterbium) and transmitted to the cutting head via a flexible fiber optic cable.
The main features of fiber lasers are:
- Extremely high energy efficiency: its electro-optical conversion efficiency can reach more than 30%, which is much higher than that of CO2 lasers and significantly reduces operational energy consumption.
- Efficient cutting speed: its cutting speed is very fast, especially when cutting thin metal plates.
- High laser beam quality: it can produce very fine, high energy density focus, especially suitable for fine, high-speed cutting.
- Low maintenance cost: the laser is transmitted within the fiber, without the need for complex optical path lens adjustment system, no lens contamination or collimation problems, low maintenance costs.
- Wide range of material applicability: Almost all common metal materials, including carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, brass, copper, etc. can be applied. For highly reflective materials (such as copper and gold), high power fiber lasers can also cope.
CO2 Laser cutting services
CO2 lasers generate laser light by discharging a mixture of gases (mainly carbon dioxide, nitrogen and helium), which is transmitted to the cutting head through a series of mirrors in a "flying light path".
The main features of sheet metal laser cutting are:
- good beam quality: continuous, stable laser light is produced, and the cutting section is very smooth.
- Strong non-metallic cutting ability: its wavelength (10.6μm) can be well absorbed by non-metallic materials, which is advantageous in cutting non-metallic materials such as wood, acrylic, glass and so on.
- Suitable for cutting thicker metal plates: when cutting thicker (e.g. >15mm) carbon steel plates, it can still obtain good section quality.
- Suitable for materials: mainly medium thickness carbon steel/stainless steel sheet, can also cut aluminum alloy, galvanized sheet, etc. It is not suitable for copper, brass and other highly reflective metals.
At the same time this sheet metal laser cutting technology also has certain limitations: high energy consumption, relatively slow operating speed (especially for sheet metal); the need for regular replacement of gas; the optical system requires frequent maintenance and calibration to prevent lens contamination or offset.
YAG Lasers cutting services
YAG lasers are solid-state lasers with unique advantages for precision cutting and microfabrication. This sheet metal laser cutting applies a pulsed output mode that allows precise control of the energy, making it suitable for cutting extremely thin sheet metal and enabling precision machining of microholes, narrow slits, and so on.
However, YAG lasers have low energy conversion efficiency, usually only 1%-3%; frequent replacement of consumables, and the YAG crystal bar itself will age over time, high operating costs; compared to fiber lasers, their beam quality is poor, which limits the precision of the cut and the smoothness of the kerf; the ability to cut thicker plates is poor, and is reserved for applications in very thin materials and micro-cutting scenarios (such as micro-structural parts in aerospace).
Advantages of sheet metal laser cutting
Extremely high machining accuracy and quality of the kerf
Sheet metal laser cutting does not need direct contact with the metal material, can effectively avoid mechanical force on the plate caused by deformation, scratches, combined with precision numerical control system, its accuracy can reach ± 0.1mm or even higher.
Laser beam focusing after the formation of a very fine spot, so that the cut slit is narrow, good perpendicularity of the kerf, smooth and clean section, basically no burr or burr very little, eliminating the need for secondary processing steps, greatly improving production efficiency.
High processing flexibility
sheet metal laser cutting in the change of product design, just modify the CAD drawings on the computer, you can immediately start the processing of new parts, without the need to make any entity mold. And it can create a variety of complex graphics, whether it is a fine pattern, tiny holes, or complex curves, sheet metal laser cutting can easily deal with.
Sheet metal laser cutting is also widely used in rapid prototyping and iterative production, suitable for product development stage of sample production and small batch trial production, can be very low cost and very fast speed to verify the design.
High productivity
The productivity of sheet metal laser cutting is extremely high, especially when cutting thin and medium-thickness plates, the speed is much faster than traditional cutting technology. Sheet metal laser cutting is also highly automated, which greatly enhances production speed and overall productivity.
Wide range of materials
A laser cutting machine can deal with a variety of metal materials, just switch the cutting parameters in the control software. It is widely used in carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, brass, copper and other materials.
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sheet metal laser cutting application scenes
Industrial manufacturing and mechanical equipment:
sheet metal laser cutting can be used to manufacture excavators, cranes, agricultural machinery and other large-scale equipment, high-strength steel structure, these parts are large in size, high thickness, cutting strength and precision have strict requirements; for the manufacture of a variety of precision machine tools, CNC equipment, shields, shells and internal structure, good cutting quality to ensure that the shell good cutting quality ensures the beauty and assembly precision of the shell.
Automobile manufacturing:
cutting doors, hoods, chassis structural parts, exhaust pipes, suspension parts, etc., whether prototype development or mass production, are inseparable from sheet metal laser cutting.
Aerospace:
high precision sheet metal laser cutting is required in the manufacture of aircraft seats, cabin facilities, auxiliary parts and some engine components.
Electronic equipment and precision instruments:
the internal metal bracket, heat sink, shell of smart phones; the metal skeleton and shell of laptop computers, these parts are usually very thin, complex structure, and very high precision requirements, sheet metal laser cutting is almost the only choice; 5G base station fiber optic boxes, heat sinks, and other precision parts, usually need sheet metal laser cutting for high precision machining. precision parts such as fiber optic boxes and heat sinks for 5G base stations usually require sheet metal laser cutting for high-precision machining.
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Sheet metal laser cutting produces complex and precise parts, and it is one of the most popular core technologies in sheet metal processing and manufacturing. If you need sheet metal laser cutting service, contact us today.
For 20 years, Supro has been specializing in laser cutting metal fabrication, providing accurate and fast sheet metal laser cutting service to a wide range of industries.With a wide range of materials to choose from and no minimum order quantity restrictions, we can meet all your needs! We have 10.000KW and 6.000KW industrial grade laser cutting machines that can accurately cut stainless steel, aluminum, copper alloys, titanium alloys, carbon steel sheets, wood panels, engineered plastic panels and more.
If you don’t have a professional designer to do sheet metal laser cutting design for you, we can help you with this task. We have a team of professional engineers who will analyze and design your requirements, give professional advice on material selection, and take responsibility for the final production and assembly!
