Fiber laser cutting machines are very common for processing metal sheets, and the cutting edges are neat and smooth, which has an irreplaceable role in the metal manufacturing industry. But what problems do you encounter when cutting thick sheet metal?

 

Affects cutting speed

Since the fiber laser cutting technology mainly cuts in the form of heat conduction, the greater the thickness of the metal plate, the greater the heat loss, which will reduce the cutting speed.

 

Affects cutting quality

Fiber laser spot diameter is small and the depth of focus is limited. Although the fiber laser cutting machine can maintain a high laser power density in the cutting depth, due to the small beam diameter and the small slit, it is not conducive to cutting and slag discharge. This brings great difficulties to the processing quality of fiber laser cutting of thick metal plates.

In addition, when the fiber laser cutting machine cuts thick metal plates, due to the large energy loss, the average cutting temperature at the bottom of the cutting is low, which will form a lot of dross at the bottom of the metal cutting section. In this case, the cut quality is usually not high.

 

What methods can be used to avoid these problems when using a fiber laser cutting machine to cut thick metal plates?

 

Use auxiliary gas

Oxygen plays an important role in fiber laser cutting of carbon steel medium and heavy plates. Laser irradiation forms small holes on the surface of the sheet. When the laser beam moves in the cutting direction, there are oxidation pools around the small holes and the kerf. The purity and pressure of oxygen have a great influence on laser cutting. Oxygen with a lot of impurities and unsuitable pressure cannot provide enough energy to the bottom of the cutting, which will reduce the cutting quality and cutting speed.

By testing the quality and pressure of the auxiliary gas at different kerf positions, it was found that the narrower the kerf, the worse the effect of the auxiliary gas, and the more difficult it is to maintain the cutting quality. Therefore, it is very important to ensure the proper slit width, the quality of the auxiliary gas and the proper pressure for laser cutting thick plates.

 

Choose high power fiber laser cutting machine

If you are going to cut thick sheet metal frequently, you can choose a more powerful laser cutter. ACCTEEK fiber laser cutting machine is available with 1.0KW-12.0KW lasers, which can cut carbon steel and stainless steel up to 40mm. High-power laser cutting machine can improve cutting quality and work efficiency very well.

 

When using a fiber laser cutting machine to cut thick metal plates, you must pay more attention to the above points, so as to ensure higher cutting quality and cutting speed during the cutting process.