Laser cutting has massive advantages over alternative metal cutting methods, providing the precision and power that helps businesses produce results on an unprecedented scale! As a constantly developing field, laser cutting only continues to offer more benefits as it grows. The latest technology means you can get the best quality cut, at rapid speeds and at an affordable price&#;
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We recently announced news of our second 10kW laser installed at Laser 24, which has bolstered our laser cutting services. In this post, our Director Iain Summerfield explains some of the main benefits of laser cutting and how Laser 24 is continuously adapting to &#;power up&#; and add value to every business it encounters.
The advantages of laser cutting over alternative methods include:
- Cuts non-ferrous material with ease
- Reliable and fast machinery for rapid turnaround
- Uses less energy when cutting &#; using nitrogen, oxygen, air
- Cuts through the thickest of metals &#; including mild steel
- Cut complex shapes with precise detail
- Non-wearing for a flawless edge finish
Read on for more benefits of laser cutting.
Cost & Quality: affordable laser cutting solutions for the best cut
Plasma or water was traditionally seen as more cost effective than laser cutting, although these methods don&#;t provide anywhere near the quality of a laser cut. However, the improvements in power, efficiency, and technology mean laser cutting can match or even supersede the value of alternative methods!
It depends on the intricacies of the requirement, but laser cutting is quicker and cleaner, with less heat distortion, which means there is less to do after it is cut, easier to work with, and ready for our customers to use!
Material Capabilities: fibre laser cutting vs waterjet cutting
Waterjet cutting is another alternative metal cutting solution. There was no significant overlap between laser and waterjet cutting until recently, as they were historically used for different cutting methods depending on the profile of the metal. But today, fibre laser machines can step into the new waterjet industry and cut parts that previously could only be waterjet cut. Not only can our new 10kw lasers do that, but they also do it quicker and cheaper!
Zero Handling: sheet metal laser cutting
Zero handling has to be one of the greatest benefits of laser cutting with Laser 24! Our programming expertise combined with our new 10kW Bystronic laser and Bystronic ByTrans Extended means you can get a perfectly finished metal without any scraping or flake-off.
Simply put, we can put a full pack of sheets in our machine and sequence the machine to do the rest, making the most complicated jobs easy. We can even program the machine to use &#;part removal&#;. It will take the cut parts and place them on a pallet, remove the skeleton of the sheet, place a new sheet in the machine, and continue cutting until the job is done.
Automation also really benefits when parts are cut with a two-sided finish, creating perfectly finished metals. We can even cut metal that has plastic coating on both sides and the auto loader means the sheet enters and exits the machine without any scraping of the underside. It has always been tricky to cut finished metal, but we make it easy and can provide a quality second to none!
Metal Cut to Size: for all business sizes!
Laser 24 is proud to employ a long-serving team of laser cutting experts. They are key to the investments we have made to serve our customers. The service we offer goes that step further and every solution is tailored to our customers. We are all trained to work alongside our customers, listening to their individual needs, and using that technology to achieve what is required by adapting our services to suit their brief.
Larger engineering divisions working on contracts with a wider range of requirements can now look to have more of their needs met by Laser 24, such as those in the construction, marine, and medical industries. Our world-class machines operated by our world-class team mean we can provide parts that our competitors simply cannot. This includes a manner of all metal materials and thicknesses, including steel, copper, brass, and aluminium.
Metal laser cutting services
At Laser 24, we are at the frontier of providing our customers with the latest innovations in laser cutting solutions to ensure paramount performance at the quickest speed, no matter where they are located. Our expertise, coupled with our powerful machinery, enables us to produce high quality work with ultra-fast turnarounds at competitive prices. As we take the final steps to become ISO accredited later this year, we are putting these to full use.
The advantages of laser cutting are clear, enabling an economic and cost-effective solution that offers more precise cuts. Combined with Laser 24&#;s state-of-the-art equipment and advanced programming expertise, the possibilities for metal cutting and press braking are almost endless! With our dynamic approach tailored to your requirements, we can transform your project and generate unique results that make you a &#;cut&#; above the rest. It really is all in the details!
Our team can handle large batches and high-volume jobs with ease, so rest assured no project is too big for us. Whether it&#;s parts for equipment or a one-off cut for a new brand project, we can offer the advice and services to help make your dream project a reality and help you achieve the results you need.
Laser 24 are one of the leading laser companies in the UK. Contact us on , emailing [ protected], or request your quick quote today.
Cutting is the most basic and widely used process in metal fabrication. Laser cutting is the go-to technology to perform such jobs in the industry because of its many advantages over other methods.
At the same time, it does have a few downsides as well. So let&#;s explore those great qualities and disadvantages more closely.
What Are the Advantages of Laser Cutting?
The reason why engineers prefer a laser cutting service lies with the long list of upsides it offers. The advantages of laser cutting are flexibility, precision, repeatability, speed, cost-effectiveness, great quality, contactless cutting, versatility and automation possibilities.
Flexibility
Laser cutting does not require an exchange of tools for each separate cut. The same setup is suitable for cutting a lot of different shapes within the same material thickness. Also, intricate cuts do not pose any problems.
Precision
Accuracy is one of the primary advantages of laser cutting when compared to other thermal cutting methods.
An accuracy of +/-0.1 mm gives an opportunity to achieve high precision without any after-treatment. In most cases, such a high standard means that no added tolerances are required.
Repeatability
+/- 0.05 mm ensures parts that are pretty much replicas of each other.
Speed
Trumpf Laser Cutter in Action
Laser cutting is a lot quicker than traditional mechanical cutting methods. Especially in the case of more complex cuts.
When comparing it to other thermal cutting methods like plasma or flame cutting, laser beats them in speed up to a certain thickness which is around 10 mm. The exact advantage point boils down to the power of the laser cutter, though.
Automation
The job needs little manpower as contemporary laser cutting machinery is highly automated. An experienced machine operator still plays a big role in the final quality but the speed of cutting and little need for manual labour result in lower costs compared to other cutting methods.
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Many machines even come with feeding systems as well as follow-up conveyors. Of course, such setups make for a higher-priced laser cutting machine.
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Quality
Using the right setup, laser cutters only leave a small burr. Often, it is not necessary to even remove it. Of course, it depends on the material, its thickness and other factors.
Another perk is having a small heat affected zone. As the microstructure along the HAZ changes, a smaller HAZ area results in more predictable and reliable parts.
In case of laser cutting, only the beam comes into contact with the material. Therefore, there is no mechanical friction that could wear tools.
Versatility
This is probably one of the most important aspects of laser cutting&#;s greatness. The versatility manifests itself in two ways.
Laser cutting is suitable for a lot of different materials. Among them are different metals, acrylic, MDF, wood, paper, etc. One machine can be configured to perform different jobs. Of course, the ability to cut some of these materials depends on the power of your machine.
Many laser cutters are not for cutting only. Laser marking is another way to utilise these machines. And marking has a lot of applications when producing everyday products.
A standard laser cutting head cannot be used for welding and a laser welding head cannot meet the cutting speeds and quality needed for cutting. Some machines allow swapping the heads if a different operation is needed to perform, combi-heads are also being developed in the background but these haven&#;t taken off yet due to various limitations they have.
Lastly, the technology is suitable for a variety of profiles. Tube laser cutting can perform the process on anything from box sections to open channels.
What Are the Disadvantages of Laser Cutting?
Although used to produce parts in almost every industry, laser cutting does have it downsides. Namely, the need of expertise, limitations to metal thickness, costs and hazardous fumes are all things to consider before turning to laser cutting.
Need of Expertise
As we already said, a specialist operator is a must in order to make the most of a laser cutter&#;s potential. The right setup makes sure the cutting quality is up to the standard people are expecting from this technology.
Limitations to Metal Thickness
Comparing laser cutting to other thermal cutting methods, it is not suitable to cut very thick plates. The largest suitable thickness depends on the available machinery and the know-how at hand. On average, metal fabrication companies tend to laser cut metal up to 15 or 20 mm.
Upfront Costs
Laser cutting machine prices can reach upwards of £1,000,000 . Lasers can be twice as costly compared to waterjet or plasma cutters. Although the running costs and efficiency make up for it in long term, the initial investment is still quite large.
Dangerous Fumes
One of the advantages of laser cutting is its suitability for cutting different materials. At the same time, the thermal cutting method makes material melt, resulting in emitted gases and dangerous fumes.
This rings especially true when cutting plastic. Thus a good, but often costly, ventilation system is a requirement for a safe working environment.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of mixed laser cutting machine. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
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