According to the China Laser Industry Development Report, the domestic fiber laser market has seen a steady increase in the power and performance of locally produced fiber lasers. In terms of shipment volume, domestic standard medium and low-power fiber lasers have surpassed their foreign counterparts, effectively replacing imports.
Domestic standard fiber lasers with ultra-high power above 10 kW are also approaching the shipment volume of foreign products in the same power range. This indicates that domestically produced fiber lasers are gradually being accepted in the domestic market as its independent research and development capabilities continue to strengthen.
As the industrial market's processing requirements for laser products become increasingly demanding, the demand for high-power lasers increases. However, with a plethora of kilowatt laser options available on the domestic market, customers are often confused about which equipment is best suited to their needs.
1. Common misconceptions about fiber laser selection
Misconception 1: Greater power means greater processing efficiency?
In recent years, high power has become more and more popular in the laser processing industry. Raycus Laser serves as an example. Last year, sales of lasers with power above 10 kW exceeded 2,380 units (with a historical total reaching 3,200 units), an increase of 243% compared to 2020, far surpassing other national competitors. In terms of power, Raycus Laser's continuous fiber laser products have reached up to 100 kW, which is the first in the country.
But does higher power necessarily translate into higher processing efficiency for laser products? The answer is not necessarily. This depends on the configuration of the laser's main components (active fiber, pump source, high-power combiner, etc.) and the type and thickness of the sheet metal the customer is processing. Firstly, the configuration of the laser's main components greatly influences its processing efficiency.
More advanced core components and their combination can result in higher processing efficiency than other brands of lasers of the same power.
Secondly, the type and thickness of the sheet processed by the customer must be considered, as well as different applications such as welding and overlapping, which can further influence the processing efficiency. Therefore, simply comparing power does not provide a measure of processing efficiency.
Let's take a look at how the 12 kW, 20 kW, and 30 kW Raycus lasers compare when cutting different thicknesses of carbon steel.
The table shows that a 30 kW laser cutting 10 mm thick carbon steel with the aid of air is 25% more efficient than a 20 kW laser. Although there is an increase in efficiency, the advantage is not very significant. However, when cutting 25 mm thick carbon steel, the advantage is clear, with the 30 kW laser being 114.3% more efficient than the 20 kW laser (with oxygen assistance).
Therefore, in practical applications, customers should choose the high-power product that best suits the type and thickness of sheet metal they are processing. If a customer primarily processes thin sheets, they should choose a kilowatt-level product that best meets their processing efficiency needs.
If they process a lot of thick plates or have a large volume of work, they should opt for a higher power kilowatt level laser.
Many customers choose to equip their machines with a 30 kW Raycus laser due to its high workload. They appreciate its ability to handle thin, medium and thick sheets, cutting speed, cross-section quality and other comprehensive requirements.
Especially when cutting medium and thick sheets with air, the advantages are clear, significantly increasing the processing efficiency of the factory, reducing overall operating costs and achieving a faster return on investment.
Misconception 2: Is a smaller fiber core better at the same power level?
It is well known that greater power and brightness are the current advances in laser technology. Some laser manufacturers have propagated the belief that a smaller fiber core means greater brightness, leading customers to mistakenly believe that the smaller the fiber core, the more powerful the laser. This, however, is a mistake.
Brightness in lasers is closely related to the Beam Parameter Product (BPP), which is calculated as BPP = ω₀ θʀ, where ω₀ is the beam waist radius and θʀ is the far-field divergence angle of the laser beam. A lower BPP value indicates better beam quality. Brightness is defined as power within a unit area and unit solid angle, with brightness Br=P/(π PPB)².
Two prerequisites for achieving high brightness are increasing laser power and improving beam quality. A single or combined improvement in these two aspects can increase laser brightness. While there are some ways to increase power, improving beam quality does not necessarily mean using a fiber with a smaller core diameter.
This occurs because the fiber core diameter cannot be equated to the beam waist diameter. To reduce the BPP value and obtain better beam quality, it is important to minimize the fiber core without increasing the far-field divergence angle.
- ω₀ = waist radius
- θʀ = far field divergence angle
In scenarios involving very high-power fiber lasers, what customers are looking for is an increase in efficiency. This can be achieved in two ways: firstly, by increasing the electro-optical conversion efficiency of the fiber laser, leading to energy and cost savings; and secondly, improving overall processing efficiency, thereby increasing profitability. Laser processing is a systems engineering task.
Only by achieving multi-dimensional correspondence and mutual improvement between the machine tool, system, gas path, processing head, laser source, sheet metal and processing technology can system utilization truly be improved. , generating optimal returns.
Raycus Laser's kilowatt fiber laser series has an electro-optical conversion efficiency of more than 40% and greatly optimizes the divergence angle, enabling better combination with cutting heads and systems of different optical configurations of all sizes. the brands on the market. This well meets customers' cutting needs for thin, medium and thick sheets.
Misconception 3: How to choose between single module and multiple module under the same power?
Fiber laser modules are divided into single module and multi module. In cutting applications, the focused light spot greatly affects the quality of the cut. A single-module kilowatt laser uses single-fiber amplification to achieve kilowatt levels, with the beam being distributed nearly Gaussian and the energy is relatively concentrated.
It generally uses mode conversion to achieve beam homogenization, but the effect is subject to considerable fluctuations due to the consistency of the device.
A multi-module kilowatt laser typically uses multiple 2000~6000W light modules to form a combined beam, achieving the overlap of multiple beams and naturally forming a homogenization effect with better consistency.
(The top two are single-module, the bottom two are multi-module)
The advantage of single-module kilowatt lasers lies in the speed of cutting medium-thickness plates. Compared with multi-module 12000 lasers, single-module 12000 laser has superior efficiency in cutting stainless steel of various thicknesses below 20mm with nitrogen or air assistance.
Multi-module kilowatt lasers have better beam homogenization performance, making them more advantageous in terms of cutting quality for thick sheets. Some customers have very high requirements for the machining section, so they still prefer multi-module fiber lasers.
In conclusion, a simple comparison between single module and multiple module is not viable. Both are configurations of fiber lasers, like a car, where a sedan is suitable for roads and an off-road vehicle is suitable for mountains. But a sedan can still cross mountains, and an off-road vehicle can drive on roads.
Therefore, the choice between multimode and single-mode fiber lasers depends on the customer's actual processing needs.
2. How to choose the right kilowatt laser product?
Product choice should be based on market application needs. For most business users, it is critical to choose a cost-effective laser based on the specific requirements of the application scenario. Customers can comprehensively assess their needs in terms of processing, cost and services.
Firstly, in terms of processing needs, different users have different requirements for sheet metal thickness, speed and cutting efficiency. Therefore, when choosing laser products, it is necessary to consider the actual processing needs of the factory's daily plate cutting and thickness.
Secondly, while maximizing current processing needs, the cost of using the product is also an important factor to consider. The cost of using laser can be compared from various aspects such as product electro-optical conversion efficiency, downtime cost and purchase price.
Lastly, lasers are high-cost bulk products with a long shelf life. In addition to product performance parameters (beam quality, electro-optical conversion efficiency, stability, etc.) and sheet cutting requirements, users also need to consider product warranty and after-sales service. From this perspective, opting for a well-known laser brand seems like the best choice.
