Frequently Asked Questions about Laser Cutting Machines
Here you can find answers to general frequently asked questions about laser cutters and laser cutting.
How does a laser cutting machine work?
Laser cutting is to use a focused high-power density laser beam to irradiate the workpiece, so that the material at the irradiated place quickly melts, vaporizes, ablates or reaches the ignition point, and at the same time, the molten material is blown out by the high-speed airflow coaxial with the beam, and moves through the numerical control mechanical system. A thermal cutting method in which the light spot irradiates the position so as to cut the workpiece.
Are laser cutters dangerous to operate?
Laser cutting is a very environmentally friendly cutting method, generally speaking, there is no harm to the body. Compared with ion cutting and oxygen cutting, laser cutting produces less dust, weak light and low noise. However, if you do not follow the correct safe operation method, it will also cause personal injury or damage to the machine.
- Beware of flammable materials when using the machine. Certain materials are not allowed to be cut on a laser cutter, including foam cores, any PVC materials, highly reflective materials, etc.
- During the working process of the machine, it is forbidden for the operator to leave without authorization to avoid unnecessary losses.
- Do not stare at the laser processing operation. It is forbidden to observe the laser through binoculars, microscopes, magnifying glasses, etc.
- Do not store explosive and flammable items in the laser processing area.
What are the factors that affect the accuracy of laser cutting machines?
There are many factors that affect the accuracy of laser cutting machines, some of which are determined by the equipment itself, such as the accuracy of the mechanical system, the degree of vibration of the table, the quality of the laser beam, the influence of auxiliary gas and nozzles, etc.; some are inherent in the material, such as the physical and chemical properties of the material. Properties, reflectivity of materials, etc.; there are also some factors that are selected according to the specific processing object and user quality requirements, and corresponding adjustments are made to determine relevant parameters, such as output power, focus position, cutting speed and auxiliary gas etc.
How does the laser cutting machine find the focus?
Since the laser power density has a great influence on the cutting speed, the selection of the focus position is particularly important. The spot size of the focused laser beam is proportional to the focal length of the lens. There are three simple ways to determine the cutting focus in the industrial field:
- Printing method: The cutting head is moved from top to bottom, and the laser beam is printed on the plastic plate, and the focal point is the smallest printing diameter.
- Inclined plate method: Use a plastic plate inclined at an angle to the vertical axis to pull it horizontally, and find the minimum point of the laser beam as the focus.
- Blue spark method: remove the nozzle, blow air, hit the pulsed laser on the stainless steel plate, and make the cutting head move from top to bottom until the maximum blue spark is the focus.
At present, many manufacturers’ machines have achieved automatic focusing. With the automatic focusing function, the processing efficiency of the laser cutting machine can be significantly improved: the perforation time of thick plates is greatly reduced; when processing workpieces of different materials and thicknesses, the machine can automatically quickly adjust the focus to the most suitable position.
What types of lasers are there and how do they differ?
At present, the lasers used for laser processing and manufacturing mainly include CO2 lasers, YAG lasers, and fiber lasers. Among them, high-power CO2 lasers and YAG lasers are widely used in confidential processing; fiber lasers based on fiber matrix have obvious advantages in reducing threshold value, oscillating wavelength range, and wavelength tunable performance, and have become emerging technologies in the laser field. .
What is the cutting thickness of the laser cutting machine?
At present, the thickness of laser cutting machine cutting generally does not exceed 60mm. Compared with other cutting methods, it has obvious advantages for cutting materials below 30mm that require precise dimensions.
What are the applications of laser cutting machines?
Laser cutting machines are widely used in automobile manufacturing, kitchenware industry, sheet metal processing, advertising industry, machinery manufacturing, Chassis cabinets, elevator manufacturing, fitness equipment and other industries.
