Interlocks stop the laser from firing if the laser is no longer fully enclosed i.e. Maintenance: Without the Beam Path Delivery System and its myriad use of mirrors, bellows, gasses wetc the Fiber laser (specifically the solid state resonator type) has greatly reduced the amount of maintenance required and as such the costs associated with that maintenance. The beam is delivered via a process of reflection and refocusing down a convoluted path called a "beam path delivery system" which is purged with protected "laz gasses" to keep the path pure and clean and free from dust that would interfere with the delivery of the full intensity of the laser. The geometry of the resulting cut front enhances the absorption of the fiber laser beam. A fiber laser usually has a wavelength of 1,060nm while CO2 lasers have wavelengths in the 10,600nm range. Additionally, as the cutting table area increases so will the power requirements of the filtration system. This leads to more efficient cutting. They are used in pharmaceutical and food packaging as well as the marking of PVC pipes, building materials, mobile communications gadgets, electrical appliances, integrated circuits, and electronic components. The cost of CO2 lasers tends to be less than fiber lasers. When cutting thicker materials, a reasonable amount of noise is produced by the assist gas, in particular when cutting with nitrogen due to the high pressures. A resonator, purged with CO2 gasses under high velocity (turbos or blowers) used a variety of methods to split the ions of light particles (typically RF or DC excitement) causing the light particles to collide into each other and split at an even greater intervals. Zoom heads allow you to adjust the focus spot diameter and hence the kerf. Based on their gain medium, lasers are classified into five main types: gas lasers, solid-state lasers, fiber lasers, liquid lasers (dye lasers), and semiconductor lasers (laser diodes). However, the speed advantage is tiny in comparison to thinner sheets. A new industrial fiber laser machine can cost 275,000 550,000 and sometimes up to a million pounds. Fiber lasers also have a growing demand for industrial cleaning applications such as removing rust, paint, oxides, and other contaminants. A smaller spot size results in higher precision during cutting and higher optical densities (the laser power per unit area). Fiber Laser, which is better? Table 3: What materials can each laser type cut? CO2 lasers use bend mirrors contained within bellows (sometimes filled with nitrogen) to deliver the beam to the cutting head. A clue to the answer is the realization that most manufacturers offer BOTH CO2 and Fiber Laser Technologies in their machinery product offering. Overall, the significantly reduced electricity costs of a fiber laser machine can result in huge cost savings for cutting applications. If you need to cut non-metals, a CO2 laser is advisable. However, the speed advantage (up to five times greater) on thin materials (< 8 mm), 50% lower operating costs and higher outputs, the financial gains that can be achieved using fiber lasers can be game changing.
In general however, for EC and UKCA conforming machines, no ear protection is required.
They are also smaller than CO2 lasers. Fiber lasers have the option of either zoom or non-zoom cutting heads. The repetitive movement of the machine produces holes in the bellows over time. When the fiber laser beam is directed at thicker materials, it is only able to interact with the top part of the cut. In general, fiber lasers have many advantages over CO2 lasers. But who is right? The table below provides a summary on how the different laser technologies compare on the most important factors. This is because during the pierce, the assist gas can get trapped below the coating causing a bubble to form around the head.
CO. laser spot sizes can be up to 90% larger than a fiber laser equivalent.
We work in and with machine shops, tool dies, mold and fab shops just like yours, running the very machinery we now offer as solutions for your manufacturing needs! Also, when cutting stainless steel or aluminium, a laser machine will always produce better results. Table 6 shows the gas pressure and nozzle size used to cut the samples shown above and the cost using a 6 kW fiber and CO2 laser. These safety measures include: It is important when purchasing a fiber laser machine that both the laser source & the machine are fully CE certified. CO2 Laser vs Fiber Laser Technology is an argument that is slowly fading from our industry. With CO2 lasers, the majority of the laser beam is reflected (due to the wavelength) back off the material which can cause significant damage to the optical components in the cutting head therefore, while it is possible to cut aluminium on a CO2 laser, it will significantly decrease the lifetime of the consumables. When cutting metals, a continuous wave (CW) fiber laser is recommended for best results in terms of cut quality and cutting speeds because of the higher average power. The main difference comes from the laser beam delivery system. For more information on what quality you can expect with plasma we would like to refer to our article on. Are you planning to purchase a laser cutter but are doubting between a CO2 and a fiber laser? The following data is for 6 kW lasers and a 170A plasma. This means for the same power laser; thicker sheets can be cut. Fiber lasers are significantly better at cutting highly reflective metals such as copper and brass.
A similarly powered fiber laser consumes approximately 18kW. Operating Costs: With lower power requirements for the resonator and lower cooling requirements they power consumption required for a fiber laser is approximately 1/3rd that of it's CO2 cousin. When deciding on a new or used fiber laser. Misalignment is both more complicated and time consuming to correct on CO2 lasers due to the nature of the beam delivery system which normally contains at least three mirrors. Saquib Ansari Managing Director Esprit Automation Ltd. Esprit Automation is a leading manufacturer of CNC laser, plasma and flame cutting machines in the UK. Zoom heads allow you to adjust the focus spot diameter and hence the kerf. laser machines can have open roofs, as even if the beam is reflected off a surface, the beam is highly diffused therefore does not cause serious harm. Purged with cutting gasses such as NO2 and O2 around the laserthe material to be machined is quickly vaporized in the intense heart and blown away as particlesof dust. However, the speed advantage (up to five times greater) on thin materials (< 8 mm), 50% lower operating costs and higher outputs, the financial gains that can be achieved using fiber lasers can be game changing.
What is the Total Cost of Ownership for both technologies? CO. machines use different heads and lenses to achieve different spot sizes. They do so as they have seen there is a marked difference in the technologies, capabilities and more importantly their performance in certain materials, thicknesses and special applications. In a previous article, Why the Kilowatt is not the King, we discovered that Fiber Lasers get more power from the resonator, or power source, to the cutting head. As the material thickness increases, the geometry of the cut front starts to favour the wavelength of the CO, The following images compare the cut edge of samples cut on a 6 kW CO. laser, a 6 kW fiber laser and a 170 A plasma machine. For thinner sheets, the smaller spot size of the fiber laser results in higher cutting speeds and smaller kerfs.
The effect of a misaligned laser beam on cutting metal. Space: which machine will occupy less shop floor space? Industrial fiber lasers systems for demanding environment like we do usually start at $40,000 and can go up to $1,000,000 for high-power laser-cutting machines. However, even with CO2 lasers, particularly for thicker sheets, two cut paths are required as with a fiber laser. Further as the cost for Fiber Lasers are being drastically lowered, they are coming in the range of a ordinary small to medium sized fabrication shop whose technology was typically out of reach. If youre looking to mark metal, what you need to buy is a fiber laser. It is possible to cut thicker sheets than those stated below, however repeatability and cut quality are significantly reduced. laser will also cost around the same however, the CO, Fiber lasers have significantly lower maintenance requirements than their CO. counterparts. To decide on the right automated laser cutting system must start with an evaluation of both your current applications, needs and limitations, and your long-term vision.
A plasma machine will be able to cut 10 mm mild steel quicker and produce a smoother cut edge. If you need to cut non-metals, a CO, When it comes to marking non-metallic materials such as wood, glass, textiles and plastics, CO, The cutting range of a laser is dependent on the power source: the higher the power, the thicker the sheet that can be cut. Increasing the power of the laser source by just 2kW can increase cutting speeds by 2-3 times for thin sheets. If you only need to cut thicker materials, a CO. laser may be a better option due to faster piercing and faster cutting speeds while producing a smoother surface finish. The extremely small spot diameter increases the intensity of the laser; hence it is able to mark extremely fine details onto parts with excellent precision. Laser cutter enclosure to protect against retina damage. This offers a good level of assurance to a user. Cutting Speed: Which technology cuts faster? When comparing cutting speeds, it is important to remember that the cutting speeds quoted are often those when cutting in a straight line, therefore for intricate profiles, the cutting speed will be lower. Table 1: Laser Technology Comparison Summary. Table 5 shows a comparison of the cut speeds used to cut the samples shown above. CO2 lasers have an efficiency of approximately 10%, therefore to power a 6kW laser, a 60kW power supply is needed whereas, a fiber laser cutter is approximately 45% (can be up to 50%) efficient so only a 13kW supply is needed. ), a good quality cut can be achieved with minimal dross and regular striations on the cut edge. The key variables when deciding between a CO2 and fiber laser are: Despite CO2 lasers being an older and potentially declining technology, it still serves as an excellent choice particularly for cutting non-metals. The footprint of the machine will largely depend on the size of the cutting bed and shuttle tables used. CONTACT US For all your stainless steel laser cutting needs. lasers (above 6kW) are less common than higher powered fiber lasers. )., Class 4 Laser systems for which direct viewing of the beam and skin exposure are dangers and for which even the viewing of diffused reflections can be dangerous. Automation for both CO2 and fiber lasers can come in the form of a full lights out operation and also in the form of automatic nozzle changing and lens autofocus which eliminates the need for manual interventions as well as reducing machine idle time. For 1 mm, a fiber laser can cut at speeds up to 6 times higher than that of a CO. laser. All laser machines by law will be required to have a label clearly stating its class. The beam is then reflected multiple times to reach the lower surface causing a rougher surface with fine striations. However, when comparing the laser systems, fiber lasers take up less space than CO, Additionally, because of the reduced electrical efficiency of CO. lasers, the corresponding chiller also has a larger footprint than a fiber laser counterpart. Coupled with less Maintenance, less consumables and faster cutting make the per/part costs on a fiber laser exceedingly advantageous. Additionally, when cutting nests, a machine will spend more time completing the traverse movements between profiles rather than actual cutting therefore the acceleration and deceleration of the machine must also be factored in when purchasing either type of machine. Ultimately it comes down to the material you are cutting type and thickness of it. Safety Glass this is used to allow the operator to view the cutting area while protecting them from the laser beam. Speed: In thin materials a CO2 Laser just cant compete against a fiber. It is possible to cut thicker sheets than those stated below, however repeatability and cut quality are significantly reduced. CO2 vs.
The fiber beam delivery method greatly simplified the process of building a laser and as such many machinescame to the market at greatly reduced prices. The difference decreases to approximately 2 times faster for a 5 mm sheet. However, if small holes/fine features are required, a laser is preferable. For other materials like plastics and rubber, it can be one or the other. This determines the type of material each laser can process (see Table 3 for a summary).
CO2 lasers deliver faster initial piercing times, quicker straight-line cutting and a smoother surface finish when cutting materials above 5mm. However, there has been a rapid uptake of fiber lasers being used in the medical, aerospace, automotive and electronics industries due to their rapid cutting speeds, excellent cut quality and high precision. The power usually ranging from 20W to 6,000W will have the largest impact on price. However, careful balancing of the cutting parameters (i.e. The smaller wavelength of a fiber laser means it is not within the absorption range of non-metallic materials (i.e. Laser types are classified into different categories based on their potential for causing injury to human eyes and skin. Due to the different wavelengths they can generate, they are widely used in industrial environments to perform cutting, marking, welding, cleaning, texturing, drilling and a lot more. The safety glass can be a translucent window and is significantly cheaper than the window required by a fiber laser. If your application is laser cutting of metals, youll most likely need a high-power CW (continuous wave) fiber laser. Fiber lasers have significantly lower maintenance requirements than their CO2 counterparts. Investment Costs: Which machine has the highest acquisition cost?
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