I. Understanding Laser Cutters
Laser cutters are a versatile technology that can be used to both cut and engrave a variety of materials. These machines rely on a combination of hardware and software to achieve the desired result, and a key performance factor of a laser cutter is determined by its power.
Laser cutter power
The power of the laser cutter, measured in watts, illustrates the machine's ability to cut different materials with varying thicknesses. Energy consumption depends on the application and the nature of the material to be processed. For example, cutting paper may require as little as 10 W, while cutting hard metals may require more than 6,000 W.
II. Role of power in laser cutting
Laser cutting power plays a crucial role in determining the efficiency and effectiveness of the cutting process. It directly impacts cutting speed, the type of materials that can be cut and suitability for specific projects. This section discusses the impact of power on cutting speed, appropriate power levels for different materials, and power considerations for specific projects.
1. Impact of power on cutting speed
The power level of a laser cutter determines its cutting speed. Higher power levels allow for faster cutting as more energy is delivered to the material being cut. This means that a laser cutter with higher power can complete jobs faster than one with lower power.
On the other hand, lower power levels may require multiple passes or slower cutting speeds to achieve desired results. Therefore, selecting the appropriate power level plays a crucial role in optimizing cutting speed and efficiency.
2. Power levels for different materials
The power of a laser cutter also determines the types of materials that can be cut and their thickness. Here is a general guideline for selecting the correct power level for different materials:
- 10-40 watts: Suitable for paper, thin plastic and lightweight fabrics
- 40-60 watts: Works well for wood, acrylic, glass and other medium density materials
- 60-120 watts: Can handle metal, thick plastics and dense materials
- 120 watts and above: Ideal for heavy cutting, such as cutting thick or hard metals
It is essential to consider the material and thickness of the workpiece when selecting the power of a laser cutter, as using too low a power level can lead to incomplete cuts or poor cut quality, while using excessive power can damage the material or reduce accuracy.
III. How to select laser power?
The materials cut by the fiber laser cutting machine are metals, mainly stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, brass, etc.
The cutting thickness that can be achieved increases with higher laser power.
The power of a fiber laser cutting machine mainly depends on the laser source. In the market, 2000W and above are generally called high power, power between 1000W-2000W is medium power, and power below 1000W is called low power.
In terms of current demand, the market has a high demand for 2000W fiber laser cutting machines, which can meet most cutting needs. The cutting speed above 2000W may be faster, but the price is also higher. Laser power is one of the main factors that directly affect the price of laser cutting machines.
For thin stainless steel and carbon steel sheets, a low-power fiber laser cutting machine can be used to cut well and at the same time ensure high cutting speed, which not only ensures working efficiency but also saves costs.
Therefore, when purchasing a laser cutting machine, we should choose reasonably according to our own metal materials and material thickness, and not blindly pursue high power.
Of course, if you are cutting thick and thin sheets and there is a high demand for production capacity, a high-power laser cutting machine within the affordable price range is also a better choice.
By properly adjusting the cutting speed and changing the auxiliary gas, the high-power laser cutting machine can also control the cutting quality well.
They are diversified products to meet the different needs of fiber laser cutting machine users.
Small optical fiber laser cutting machines are mainly suitable for customers in the hardware, kitchen and bathroom industries.
Medium power fiber laser cutting machines are generally chosen by customers in the advertising, sheet metal and chassis industries.
High-power fiber laser cutting machines are required by customers in the aviation, aerospace, rail, automobile and other industries.
The choice of high power fiber laser cutting machine depends on customers' personal cutting needs.
Example
Let's take the common 500W-1000W as an example to analyze:
Comparison of cutting process parameters of 500W and 1000W fiber laser cutting machines.
Carbon steel
To begin with, let's take carbon steel as an example.
As shown in the figure, the maximum cutting speed of carbon steel below 2mm with a 500W machine is about 6.6m per minute, and the maximum cutting speed of carbon steel with a 1000W machine is of about 8 m per minute.
The maximum cutting speed of 6mm carbon steel with a 500W machine is about 0.8m per minute, and the maximum cutting speed with a 1000W machine is about 1.6m per minute and so on.
Stainless steel
Next, let's take stainless steel as an example.
As shown in the figure, the maximum cutting speed of stainless steel below 2mm with a 500W machine is about 8m per minute, while the maximum cutting speed with a 1000W machine can reach about 17m per minute.
For stainless steel of about 3 mm, the maximum cutting speed with a 500 W machine is about 0.4 m per minute, while the maximum cutting speed with a 1000 W machine is about 1.4 m per minute. m per minute, and the gap is very obvious.
It can be seen that when facing 500W and 1000W fiber laser cutting machines, a 1000W fiber laser cutting machine is obviously a wiser choice.
4. Laser cutter power table for metal cutting
The following laser cutter power chart from 1000W to 6000W will be a good reference for you to select the correct laser power.
And for a more detailed chart of laser cutting thickness and speed, you can refer to this post .
1000 W laser power
1000W cutting thickness (mm) and speed (m/min)
| Metals | Stainless steel | Carbon steel | Aluminum | Brass |
| Max Tks. | 5 | 12 | 3 | 3 |
| Speed | 0.6 | 0.5-0.8 | 0.7-1.5 | 0.5-1.0 |
| Common tks. | 3 | 6 | two | two |
| Speed | 1.8-2.5 | 1.4-1.6 | 2.8-3.6 | 2.8-3.6 |
| Thanks. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Speed | 18-25 | 8-10 | 6-10 | 6-10 |
1500 W laser power
1500W cutting thickness (mm) and speed (m/min)
| Metals | Stainless steel | Carbon steel | Aluminum | Brass | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Tks. | 8 | 14 | 5 | 4 | ||
| Speed | 0.3-0.7 | 0.5-0.7 | 0.4 | 0.8-1.0 | ||
| Common tks. | 4 | 8 | two | two | ||
| Speed | 1.5-2.4 | 1-1.4 | 6-7 | 3.0-4.5 | ||
| Thanks. | 1 | two | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Speed | 28-32 | 8-10 | 15-26 | 3.5-4.2 | 12-18 | 9-12 |
2,000 W laser power
2,000 W cutting thickness (mm) and speed (m/min)
| Metals | Stainless steel | Carbon steel | Aluminum | Brass | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Tks. | 10 | 18 | 8 | 6 | ||||
| Speed | 0.1-0.3 | 0.4-0.5 | 0.2-0.4 | 0.3-0.7 | ||||
| Common tks. | 5 | 10 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| Speed | 1.8-2.5 | 1-1.1 | 1.5-2.0 | 1.2-2.0 | ||||
| Thanks. | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | two | 1 | two |
| Speed | 28-38 | 4-5 | 28-38 | 3-4.2 | 15-25 | 7-10 | 12-18 | 4-8 |
3000 W laser power
3000W cutting thickness (mm) and speed (m/min)
| Metals | Stainless steel | Carbon steel | Aluminum | Brass | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Tks. | 12 | 22 | 12 | 8 | ||||
| Speed | 0.2-0.4 | 0.4-0.6 | 0.1-0.2 | 0.3-0.5 | ||||
| Common tks. | 8 | 10 | 6 | 5 | ||||
| Speed | 1.0-2.5 | 1.2-1.8 | 1.5-2.0 | 1.5-2.0 | ||||
| Thanks. | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Speed | 35-45 | 4-6 | 35-45 | 3.5-4.2 | 30-35 | 6.5-8 | 30-35 | 4-5 |
4000 W laser power
4000W cutting thickness (mm) and speed (m/min)
| Metals | Stainless steel | Carbon steel | Aluminum | Brass | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Tks. | 14 | 22 | 16 | 10 | ||||
| Speed | 0.2-0.4 | 0.4-0.8 | 0.2-0.4 | 0.2-0.7 | ||||
| Common tks. | 10 | 12 | 8 | 6 | ||||
| Speed | 0.8-1.2 | 1.2-1.8 | 0.9-1.6 | 1.4-2.0 | ||||
| Thanks. | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Speed | 35-45 | 3.5-5 | 35-45 | 2.5-3.4 | 30-35 | 4-6 | 25-35 | 5-8 |
6000 W laser power
6000W cutting thickness (mm) and speed (m/min)
| Metals | Stainless steel | Carbon steel | Aluminum | Brass | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Tks. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 12 | ||||
| Speed | 0.2-0.4 | 0.3-0.5 | 0.1-0.2 | 0.3-0.5 | ||||
| Common tks. | 14 | 14 | 10 | 8 | ||||
| Speed | 0.8-1.5 | 1.2-1.8 | 1.0-1.5 | 1.6-1.8 | ||||
| Thanks. | 1 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Speed | 36-40 | 8-10 | 36-40 | 2-2.6 | 40-45 | 6-8 | 30-35 | 5-7 |
V. Precautions for selecting appropriate power of laser cutting machine
1. It is selected according to the material to be processed and the cutting thickness
Select the appropriate power based on the actual materials to be processed and the cutting thickness in order to determine the model and processing format of the equipment to be purchased and lay the foundation for subsequent procurement work.
The application fields of laser cutting machines involve many industries, such as sheet metal processing, metal processing, advertising, technology, medical devices and more.
2. Select according to the smoothness of the cutting surface
The existence of burrs on the cutting surface of laser cutting is mainly determined by the thickness of the cut and the type of gas used.
There are no burrs when cutting below 3mm. Nitrogen is the best gas, followed by oxygen, while air is the least effective.
Metal laser cutting machines produce less or no burrs, as well as a very smooth cutting surface, relatively fast cutting speed, and relatively small material deformation.
3. Selection of main parts for laser cutting
Are the laser and laser head imported or national? Imported lasers generally use IPG, while domestic lasers generally use Raycus.
At the same time, attention should also be paid to other laser cutting accessories, such as whether the motor is an imported servo motor, guide rail, base, etc., as they affect the cutting accuracy of the machine to a certain extent.
One thing that requires special attention is the laser cutting machine's cooling system – the cooling cabinet.
Many companies use household air conditioners for refrigeration, but the effect is weak. The best option is to use an industrial air conditioner, which can achieve great results.
4. Laser power selection
For example, most factories cut metal plates below 6mm, so there is no need to buy high-power laser cutting machines. 1000W laser cutting machines can meet production demands.
If the production volume is large and there is concern that the efficiency of a 1000W machine is not as high as that of a high-power laser cutting machine, the best option is to purchase two or more laser cutting machines. small to medium power laser. . This helps manufacturers control costs and increase profits.
