How to choose the right power for the fiber laser cutting machine?

Industrial manufacturing in the new era puts forward new requirements for the accuracy, speed, and thickness of sheet metal cutting. The power that fiber laser cutting machines can reach is getting higher and higher. Many customers ask how to choose the power of the fiber laser cutting machine when purchasing. Today FORSUN CNC will analyze how to choose the power of the laser metal cutting machine.

How to choose the right power fiber laser cutting machine?

First, select according to the processing material and cutting thickness

We choose the power according to the actual processing material and actual cutting thickness. So that we can determine which model to buy. For example, machine power, working area, etc., are a simple foreshadowing of later procurement work. The application fields of laser cutting machines involve multiple industries. Such as sheet metal processing, metal processing, advertising, craftsmanship, medical equipment, etc.

Laser has different effects on different metal materials. The laser power varies depending on the metal material. For example, under the same thickness, the laser power for cutting carbon steel is lower than that of stainless steel, and the laser power for cutting stainless steel is lower than that of yellow. Copper power is small. In addition to the properties of the metal itself, the thickness is also closely related to the laser power. For the same metal pipe, the cutting power of 10mm is lower than that of 20mm.

Secondly, choose according to the finish of the cut surface

Whether there are burrs on the laser cutting surface is mainly related to the cutting thickness and the gas used. There is no burr when cutting below 3mm. Nitrogen is the best gas, followed by oxygen, and the air is the worst. The metal laser cutting machine has few or no burrs, the cutting surface is very smooth, the speed is relatively fast, and the material deformation is relatively small.

Third, Selection of core components for laser cutting

The laser and laser head are imported or domestically produced. Imported lasers generally use IPG, and domestic lasers generally use Raycus. At the same time, pay attention to other parts of laser cutting, such as whether the motor is an imported servo motor, guide rail, bed, etc., because they affect the cutting accuracy of the machine to a certain extent.

Fourth, power selection

There are many mainstream laser pipe cutting machines on the market, ranging from 1000W to 20000W. The thickness of the pipes of most manufacturers is between 8mm-12mm. If cutting this thickness for a long time, it is recommended to choose a 4000W-6000W laser pipe cutting machine. If it is brass with high reflection characteristics, it is recommended to use a laser pipe cutting machine with a power of 8000W or more. 2000W-4000W laser pipe cutting machine is recommended for the thickness of 5mm-8mm. A lower thickness of 1000W is usually sufficient. It should be noted that if you buy a 6000W laser pipe cutting machine, you can reduce the output magnification and adjust it to 2000W for cutting when cutting small thickness materials of about 4mm, which saves energy and saves electricity and costs.

Various power fiber laser machine cutting material thickness

The following briefly introduces the thickness limit of the power cutting of various materials of the fiber metal laser cutting machine. Due to the quality of the cutting machine, cutting environment, auxiliary gas, cutting speed and other factors, the data is for reference only, I hope everyone understands.

			500W	1000w	1500W	2000W	3000W
Material	Thickness	Gas	Cutting Speed（m/min）	Cutting Speed（m/min）	Cutting Speed（m/min）	Cutting Speed（m/min）	Cutting Speed（m/min）
Carbon Steel	1	O2	7.0–9.0	8.0–10	15–26	24–30	30–40
	2		3.0–4.5	4.0–6.5	4.5–6.5	4.7–6.5	4.8–7.5
	3		1.8–3.0	2.4–3.0	2.6–4.0	3.0–4.8	3.3–5.0
	4		1.3–1.5	2.0–2.4	2.5–3.0	2.8–3.5	3.0–4.2
	5		0.9–1.1	1.5–2.0	2.0–2.5	2.2–3.0	2.6–3.5
	6			1.4–1.6	1.6–2.2	1.8–2.6	2.3–3.2
	8			0.8–1.2	1.0–1.4	1.2–1.8	1.8–2.6
	10			0.6–1.0	0.8–1.1	1.1–1.3	1.2–2.0
	12			0.5–0.8	0.7–1.0	0.9–1.2	1.0-1.6
	14				0.5–0.7	0.7–0.8	0.9–1.4
	16					0.6–0.7	0.7–1.0
	18					0.4–0.6	0.6–0.8
	20						0.5–0.8
	22						0.3–0.7
Stainless Steel	1	N2	8.0–13	18-25	20–27	24-30	30–35
	2		2.4–5.0	5-7.5	8.0–12	9.0–12	13–21
	3		0.6–0.8	1.8–2.5	3.0–5.0	4.0–6.5	6.0-10
	4			1.2–1.3	1.5–2.4	3.0–4.2	4.0–6.0
	5			0.6–0.7	0.7-1.3	1.8-2.5	3.0–5.0
	6				0.7–1.0	1.2-1.8	2.0–4.0
	8					0.7-1.0	1.5–2.0
	10						0.6–0.8
	12						0.4–0.6
Aluminum/brass	1	N2	4.0–5.5	6.0-10	10–20	15-25	25–38
	2		0.7–1.2	2.8-3.6	5.0–7.0	7–10	10–18
	3			0.7–1.5	2.0–4.0	4.0-6.0	6.5–8.0
	4				1.0–1.5	2.0-3.0	3.5–5.0
	5				0.7–1.0	1.2-1.8	2.5–3.5
	6					0.7-1.0	1.5–2.5
	8					0.6-0.8	0.7–1.0

Is the higher the power the better?

Is the power fiber laser cutting machine good? It is a concern of many people. The mainstream trend of the market can always give users certain guidance, and the continuous appearance of Wanwa laser cutting machines seems to give users a hint: the higher the power, the better. Is this statement correct?

There is no doubt that competition in the field of fiber laser cutting machines has been fierce in recent years. In addition to competition in cutting technology, cutting speed, after-sales service, etc., laser cutting machine manufacturers have also made breakthroughs in higher power technology, vying to release 10,000-watt laser cutting machine products. However, there are still relatively few that actually use 10,000 watts of power to cut metal plates. To a large extent, manufacturers’ pursuit of a higher power is only a manifestation of technical capabilities. The higher the power, the more expensive the laser cutting machine. Power is one of the main factors that directly affect the price of laser cutting machines. High-power laser cutting machines require higher hardware requirements. The upgrade of the whole machine will make the cost of the whole machine skyrocket.

How to choose the right laser cutting machine?

Laser cutting machines can be divided into low, medium, and high power according to the power. For thinner stainless steel and carbon steel plates, a low-power fiber laser cutting machine can be used to cut very well, while ensuring a higher cutting speed, which not only ensures work efficiency but also saves costs. cost. Therefore, when choosing a laser cutting machine, you must make a reasonable choice based on your own material and the thickness of the material, and don’t blindly pursue high power. High-power laser cutting machines require higher hardware requirements. The upgrade of the whole machine will make the cost of the whole machine skyrocket. Therefore, when choosing the power of the equipment, we should consider the value we can accept.

Of course, if you have thick and thin plates for processing, and the production capacity is very large, a high-power laser cutting machine within the price range you can afford is also a better choice. Because by adjusting the cutting speed and appropriately changing the auxiliary gas, the high-power laser cutting machine can also control the cutting quality well.

Summary

Industrial manufacturing in the new era puts forward new requirements for the accuracy, speed, and thickness of sheet metal cutting. The power that fiber laser cutting machines can reach is getting higher and higher. Whether you are planning to buy a new fiber laser cutting machine, or have low-power equipment and are in operation, high-power laser equipment can bring you a better return on investment.

Is there a time when more power is not needed?

Yes, there are two situations.

First, if you only cut thin slices under 0.100 inches, then you will not use more than 8 or 10 kilowatts of power.

Second, if you don’t have enough work to load the machine, you don’t need to buy a more powerful machine. For example, if your processing load is not expected to increase and only consumes ½ work shifts, then purchasing a more powerful laser to reduce the workload to ¼ shifts may not provide a return on investment.

On the contrary, if your laser has a lot of work to do, please do everything possible to avoid spilling into the second shift. Running the second shift will incur a lot of production costs. Let us not forget how difficult it is to find the operators and managers of the first shift, let alone the second shift. In addition, if your workshop currently has multiple lasers, you may be able to replace some of them with a new high-performance laser, thereby reducing programming and operating labor requirements and increasing available workshop space.

Choose the laser performance level that matches the current and near-future product requirements, and make mistakes in accelerating production.

If you have enough work to use the fiber laser machine and have enough budget, I suggest you choose a high-power fiber laser machine.

Why Choose High-Power Fiber Laser Cutting Machine?

Some readers may have questions, we only cut 5mm-10mm plates, why do we need a high-power fiber laser cutting machine? What benefits can it bring us?

Save time and cost

We take 5mm stainless steel cutting as an example. The 12000w laser cutting machine works continuously for 24 hours, which is equivalent to the 6000w laser cutting machine working continuously for 2.7 days and the 3000w laser cutting machine working continuously for 4.4 days.

For sheet metal cutting, the delivery time can be a measure of the processing level to a large extent. The shorter the delivery time, the higher the customer satisfaction and the stronger the market competitiveness. For self-produced and self-sold customers, faster processing speed means higher parts delivery efficiency, which can easily meet the demand for increased production capacity.

There is no significant increase in the cost of use

In addition, the high-power laser cutting machine can use air to cut thin plates, and the cutting effect can be guaranteed. This will further reduce the cost of use and increase the company’s profitability.

Wider processing range

In short, the high-power laser cutting machine can expand the processing thickness range of the plate. At the same time, the utilization rate of the machine is improved. For example, your company does not purchase small and medium-power cutting machines, but when purchasing high-power laser cutting machines, you can process both thin and thick plates at the same time!

Better cutting effect

The high-power laser cutting machine has a better cross-section and a smaller taper. At the same time, it can cut a wider gloss surface thickness. It can finish smooth cutting of 30mm carbon steel. Customers are more satisfied with finished products.

At present, some high-power laser cutting machine manufacturers in the market are pursuing higher power, hoping to show their strength, but they ignore that high-power is not only an upgrade of laser power but also an upgrade of the overall structure of the equipment. For high-power laser cutting machines, higher power requires a more stable bed to ensure the stability of processing.

How to choose a high-power fiber laser cutting machine

We recommend that you carefully consider the following points when choosing a high-power laser cutting machine:

Cutting speed and accuracy.
Check the stability and consistency of full-power continuous cutting.
The speed matching ability of the machine tool.
The advanced nature and precision life of machine tool control.

You cannot simply compare price factors, such as buying low-power laser cutting equipment. High power means high investment, and high investment means high risk. When a company enters this high-return market, it must be aware of its risks. Don’t be greedy for temporary benefits, and ignore the losses caused by later maintenance.

FAQ

What is the service life of the laser cutting machine?

The laser cutting machine can be used for a long time, provided that the following points are noted:
Suitable for the environment of the machine (air temperature and humidity), regular cleaning, and most importantly regular and professional maintenance. These are the basic factors to ensure long service life. Learn more: How to Maintain the CNC Fiber Laser Machine?

How much must be prepared to invest?

There is no simple answer to this question because it depends on many factors. As mentioned earlier, your requirements for laser cutting machines play a key role. This has an impact on the size and capacity of the system. Peripheral equipment is also an aspect that must be considered: for example, does the workflow require an automatic loading and unloading system?

If you decide to buy a laser cutting machine, you should not only pay attention to the cost of the purchase itself but also evaluate the total cost of ownership, which is calculated during the entire life of the machine, including maintenance costs and machine downtime.

In addition, the current technical skills and training needs of your employees must also be addressed.

Companies that do not consider these factors often make decisions that can have dire and lasting consequences: they choose cheap systems. Poor quality, lack of expertise and experience, lack of spare parts, and poor service, in the worst case, may quickly shut down the entire production process.

A comprehensive concept that takes into account all the above points is absolutely necessary. In the final analysis, this is a problem for a partnership to find the best solution for you. Because only satisfied customers are good customers.