What Are The Three Main Types of Laser Cutting?

Today, the most common process in the sheet metal industry is laser cutting. A laser cutting machine is a machine type that creates and designs patterns with powerful laser beams, combustion, or vaporization of certain materials. It uses a laser beam to make high-precision cutting workpieces, with the advantages of fast cutting speed, high cutting quality, and high cutting efficiency. According to its main type, laser cutting machines can be divided into CO2 laser cutting machines, fiber laser cutting machines, and ND: YAG solid laser cutting machines.
In this article, we will discuss the types and complex technologies of the three laser-cutting machines to help readers better understand the development and application of laser-cutting technology.

What is laser cutting

Before distinguishing the type of laser generator, it is best to understand what laser cutting is. Laser cutting is a process that uses high-energy laser beams for cutting and carving. The principle of laser cutting is to process the surface of the workpiece using a high-energy laser beam generated by the laser generator, and the optical system focuses on the laser beam to make it a very small light spot. When the laser beam is irradiated on the workpiece, the light energy is absorbed by the material and converted into thermal energy. Thermal energy enables the material to heat the material to reach the melting point and even vaporization temperature. By controlling the focal length and power of the laser beam, the material can be melted, vaporized, or burned.
Laser technology can perform various activities, including cutting, perforation and etching, depending on the intensity of laser, the main component of laser beam, and the material that acts on the laser beam.At the same time, laser cutting can also achieve dynamic control of laser beam-cutting paths. Using computer-aided design (CAD) and computer CNC (CNC) technology, the required cutting path can be converted into instructions for laser cutting systems to achieve a high-precision and high-speed cutting process.

Type of laser cutting machine

There are three types of laser cutting machines: CO2 laser cutting machine, fiber laser cutting machine, and ND: YAG solid laser cutting machine. Most of the laser beam generation methods are based on the same basic physical concepts, but physical realization varies from laser technology. Each laser generator can provide continuous wavelengths and can be used for multiple purposes. Although metals are most common in industrial applications, wood, and plastic can also be cut with laser cutters. The types of these different laser-cutting machines will be described below.

CO2 laser cutting machine

CO2 laser cutting machine is one of the most common and earliest laser cutting equipment. It uses CO2 gas as the activation medium and generates a CO2 laser beam through the laser generator. The main features of the CO2 laser-cutting machine include the following:

Paveout length: The laser wavelength of the CO2 laser cutting machine is about 10.6 microns, which has a high absorption rate for most non-metallic materials, so it is suitable for cutting wood, plastic, rubber, paper, and other materials.
Fast cutting speed: The CO2 laser cutting machine’s cutting speed on non-metallic materials is very fast, which can greatly improve production efficiency.
Sub-cut thickness: Due to the low absorption rate of CO2 laser on metal materials, the CO2 laser cutting machine has limited cutting thickness to metal materials and is usually suitable for thinner metal plates.
The cutting edges are smooth: The cutting area of the CO2 laser cutting machine is large, so the cutting edges are relatively smooth and do not need additional post-processing.

Fiber laser cutting machine

The fiber laser cutting machine has been a rapidly developing laser cutting equipment in recent years. It uses a fiber laser generator to transfer the laser beam to the cut head and then cut the workpiece. The main features of optical fiber laser cutting machines include the following:

Short wavelength: The laser wavelength of the fiber-fiber laser cutting machine is usually about 1 micron, which has a high absorption rate for metal materials, so it is suitable for cutting steel, aluminum alloy, copper, and other metal materials.
Quality of high beam: The fiber laser cutting machine uses fiber to transmit the laser beam, which can maintain the high quality of the laser beam and make the cutting effect finer.
Fast cutting speed: The cutting speed of the fiber laser cutting machine on metal materials is very fast, which can greatly improve production efficiency.
Large cutting thickness: The cutting thickness of the optical fiber laser cutting machine is relatively large, and the thick metal plate can be cut.
High-cutting quality: The thermal impact area during the cutting process of the fiber laser cutting machine is small, the cutting quality is high, and it is suitable for precision cutting.

ND: YAG solid laser cutting machine

ND: YAG solid laser generator is a common laser generator. It adopts a cricket aluminum port (YAG) crystal mixed with ion (ND3+) as the activation medium, which is stimulated by a pump source to generate laser beams. ND: The main features of the YAG solid laser generator include the following:

Short pulse width: ND: YAG solid laser generator can produce short laser pulse, usually in nanoseconds. This gives it advantages in applications that require high-speed and high-precision processing, such as fine processing and laser marking.
Narrow width: ND: The laser wavelength of the YAG laser generator is relatively narrow, usually within a few nanometers. This makes it have advantages in some applications for high laser wavelengths, such as laser medicine and spectral analysis.
High stability: Its laser output can stabilize within a certain power range and has a lower beam quality attenuation. This makes it perform well in applications with long-term continuous work and repeated frequency.
Multi-functional application: ND: YAG solid laser generator can achieve cutting, welding, punching, marking, and other processing of different materials by adjusting the laser parameters (such as pulse width, frequency, etc.). It is suitable for the processing of metal and non-metal materials and can meet the needs of different industries.

Differences between three laser cutting machines

Depending on the working principles and application areas of laser cutting machines, there are significant differences between the three laser cutting machines. The appropriate type depends on specific cutting requirements and material characteristics.

wavelength

The wavelength of the laser depends only on the material used as a gain medium. For the CO2 laser generator, the CO2 gas molecules generate a wavelength of 10,600 nm. According to the elements used in fiber laser generators, the wavelength can be any wavelength between 780 and 2,200 nm. ND: The wavelength of laser generators such as YAG is 1064 nm because they all use neodymium as the gain medium.

power

Power is a relatively obvious difference between different types of laser-cutting machines. The fiber laser generator has a closer focus, which means that they have higher power density compared to carbon dioxide laser generators. For the same laser output, the energy consumed by the optical fiber laser generator is about one-third of the CO2 laser generator, so the operating cost is much lower. ND: The power density of the YAG laser generator is higher than that of the fiber laser generator, but the energy efficiency is poor. For CO2 laser technology, the laser power can be from dozens of watts to hundreds of watts. For optical fiber laser technology, laser power can support up to tens of thousands of watts.

Cutting quality

Compared with the CO2 laser generator, fiber, and ND: YAG laser generator can produce smooth cutting edges. However, they are usually limited to thinner materials. The cutting speed and the overall laser power will also have a significant impact on the cutting quality. Excessive or too slow cutting speed will lead to poor cutting quality. In recent years, the rapid development of optical fiber laser technology, and the popularity of high-power laser generators have caused laser-cutting machines to break through the thickness limit. With the increase in power, the cutting thickness and efficiency of the laser cutting machine also increased. According to statistics, the 50KW laser cutting machine has broken the maximum cutting thickness of low-carbon steel and stainless steel to 120mm and 100mm, respectively.

price

Although the CO2 laser cutting machine is much cheaper than the fiber laser cutting machine, the purchase and maintenance cost of the CO2 laser generator is more expensive because the laser tube must be replaced after a certain period. ND: The reliability of the YAG laser generator is not as good as the fiber laser generator. It needs to be expensive regularly, so the operating cost is higher.

application

The design and programming of the cutting pattern affect the cutting speed. An efficient and optimized cutting path minimizes unnecessary travel times and optimizes the cutting process for increased speed. Programming techniques such as import, export, and optimized path sequencing help maximize cutting speed.

Summarize

The continuous development and innovation of laser cutting technology make the type of laser cutting machine more and more diverse. CO2 laser cutting machines, optical fiber laser cutting machines, and ND: YAG laser cutting machines are currently the most widely used main types. They each have unique characteristics and scope of applicability, which can meet the cutting needs of different industries.
It is hoped that this article will help readers understand the main types of laser-cutting machines and choose suitable devices for practical applications. If you also want to know other aspects of laser cutting, including the software type you need, how to design laser cutting, and understand these laser cutting machines, let’s communicate in depth!

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