Introduction to laser cutting machine

Principle of laser cutting:

The principle of laser cutting is to irradiate the cutting area with a laser beam of high power density to vaporize or melt the surface of the material, thus achieving the cutting purpose. Laser cutting belongs to the non-contact processing method and does not require tools and molds. The laser cutting machine focuses the laser emitted from the laser into a high power density laser beam through the optical circuit system, irradiates the surface of the workpiece, and makes the workpiece reach the melting or boiling point. At the same time, the high-speed airflow coaxial with the beam blows away the melted or vaporized metal. With the movement of the beam relative to the position of the workpiece, the material is finally formed into a slit, thus achieving the purpose of cutting.

Features of laser cutting:

High precision: The laser cutting kerf is fine and narrow, the cutting surface is smooth and beautiful, the deformation of the workpiece is small, and the cutting precision is high.

Fast speed: The whole cutting process can be fully realized by numerical control, fast cutting speed, for example, 2500W laser cutting 1mm thick cold rolled carbon steel plate, cutting speed up to 10~16m/min.

Non-contact processing: Laser cutting does not require tools and molds, avoiding tool wear and tear, suitable for a variety of flat, curved and irregularly shaped materials.

Wide range of applications: Laser cutting is widely used in the processing of sheet metal, plastics, glass, ceramics, semiconductors, textiles, wood and paper.

Classification of laser cutting:

Melt cutting: The material is melted by laser heating and the melted metal is blown away by high-pressure gas.

Gasification Cutting: The material is vaporized by laser heating, applicable to various materials.

Oxygen Cutting: Utilizing the reaction between oxygen and the heated metal to cut, applicable to mild steel.

Inert Gas Cutting: Use nitrogen or argon as the cutting gas to protect the kerf from oxidation.

Plasma-assisted Cutting: Accelerate the cutting process by absorbing laser energy through a plasma cloud.

Advantages of laser cutting:

High precision: Fine and narrow kerf, clean and beautiful surface, small deformation of the workpiece.

Fast speed: The whole process can be numerically controlled, which improves productivity.

Non-contact processing: Avoiding the wear and tear of tools, applicable to the processing of various complex shapes.

Wide application: It is suitable for the processing of many kinds of materials, including metal and non-metal.

In summary, laser cutting technology has been widely used in industrial production due to its high precision, high speed and non-contact processing characteristics, and with the progress of technology, laser cutting will play an important role in more fields.