With the increasingly fierce market competition, the fiber laser cutting market has gone from the wild growth stage of blindly pursuing power in the past to the intensive cultivation stage that requires more fully tapping into user needs.

At this stage, the technological gap between various brand manufacturers continues to narrow, and how to accurately identify user positioning and provide more suitable products and solutions for users has become the key to breaking the gap for laser equipment manufacturers; And users of laser cutting will also have more options, which are expected to improve cutting efficiency without increasing power.

Will an annual increase of 60kW in power be the ceiling?

Undoubtedly, increasing power is the most direct means to improve cutting speed and cutting ability. In the past decade or so, the laser cutting power in the metal field has increased from several hundred watts to over kilowatts, to over ten thousand watts, and then to 30000, 50000, and 60000 watts.

Each power increase has brought about a very significant increase in cutting speed and thickness. At the CIMT International Machine Tool Exhibition, Pentium Laser showcased a 60kW ultra-high power fiber laser cutting machine. This is currently the highest power laser cutting product among users in the industry, and it will also launch a new round of charge towards replacing traditional processes such as plasma in industries with high demand for thick plates such as ships, heavy machinery, and steel structures.

It can be said that for users with a high demand for thick plate processing, 60000 watts is undoubtedly a divine tool for improving quality and efficiency of the production line. But after 60000 watts, will there still be 70000 watts, 80000 watts, and 100000 watts of cutting machines?

The development of laser cutting machines to 60000 watts can come to an end, because the current 60000 watt laser cutting machine has the ability to completely replace plasma and flame cutting. Further improving laser power will no longer make a significant contribution to cutting efficiency and cutting ability, but will further increase user costs and energy consumption.

Although the demand for higher power is not obvious at the current application end, laser manufacturers have prepared in advance. In 2021, the Ruike Laser 100kW laser has been delivered, preparing for the possibility of higher power cutting applications in the future at the light source level.

Stimulating power potential 12kW is comparable to 20kW

Higher power can bring higher efficiency, but it also means higher procurement costs and higher energy consumption. For the vast majority of users on the market, the processing demand for medium and thin plates is more common. In the past, to improve the processing efficiency of medium and thin plates, it was necessary to spend more costs and increase power. Now, such users have new choices.

At the core light source level, the 12000W laser provided by Ruike Laser has significantly improved its performance compared to conventional 12000 W. The data shows that at full power, the 12000 W HP laser can increase the cutting speed by an average of over 40% on a common 3-10mm thickness, especially for cutting 6mm carbon steel, with an efficiency improvement of up to 85%. In comparison with the conventional 20000W laser cutting speed, we found that the overall speed of the two is equivalent, while the cutting speed of 12000W-HP is better when cutting 6mm stainless steel and carbon steel.

At the core functional component level, the variable beam cutting head provided by Bochu Electronics can switch beam shapes at any time for different thicknesses of plates, while also taking into account the processing needs of thin and thick plates, achieving efficiency doubling. For example, when cutting thick plates or having higher requirements for section quality, selecting A beam that can homogenize the beam quality can improve the section quality while obtaining smaller perpendicularity.

When cutting medium and thin plates, selecting a B-beam that can further enhance energy density can significantly improve the cutting efficiency of the medium and thin plates. In addition, this cutting head also has functions such as real-time air pressure monitoring, protective mirror temperature monitoring, protective mirror explosion detection, and cutting head collision prevention design, ensuring stable long-term processing.

HGLASER has upgraded the machine tool structure, intelligent interconnection, cutting technology and other aspects while combining the new generation of light source of Ruike and the two major technologies of Bochu variable beam cutting head. The 12000 HP Cutting Warrior uses a hollow bed and cast aluminum crossbeam, with acceleration up to 4G and XY linkage speed up to 200m/min. Reading communication data only takes 0.1 milliseconds. At the same time, HGALSER is also conducting technical research on many pain points in current laser cutting. With the support of the new generation system of Bochu, it can achieve functions such as perforation detection, intelligent cutting back, insensitivity perforation, traceless micro connection, and sharp angle cutting, achieving high-quality and efficient cutting.

It can be said that HGLASER, Ruike Laser, and Bochu Electronics have teamed up to create a medium to thin plate cutting tool for the laser industry, maximizing the laser power of 12000W and increasing processing efficiency geometrically.

How do users choose? Calculate economic accounts based on one's own needs

For the vast number of processing users, the ultimate goal of improving processing efficiency is actually to create greater value. At the same time, the ability to reduce costs and improve returns is also an important reference factor for users when choosing equipment.

As mentioned earlier, the processing efficiency of the Ruike Laser 12000 W HP laser is significantly improved compared to the conventional 12 kW laser, and it is close to or even some thicknesses exceed the conventional 20 kW laser. While improving efficiency, the operating cost of the 12000 W HP laser has also been reduced. According to calculations, the cost of processing stainless steel and carbon steel with a thickness of 3-10mm has significantly decreased, with a maximum cost reduction of up to 50%.

Taking cutting 6mm carbon steel as an example, processing 100000 meters can save 5300 yuan and 59 hours compared to the conventional 12kW model; Taking cutting 10mm stainless steel as an example, processing 100000 meters can save 4300 yuan and 42 hours compared to friends.

In addition, Ruike Laser's 12000W HP laser has reserved 1000W of power redundancy, with power stability controlled within ± 1%. Multiple anti high reflection designs have been added, and intelligent monitoring functions have been added, allowing real-time monitoring of visible light, feedback light, and leakage light signals. These designs ensure that the laser can operate stably for a long time, while also ensuring that users can maintain the machine for a long time, reducing the additional costs of maintenance and losses caused by production downtime.

Summary

Whether it is pursuing higher laser power in order to open up the application market in the field of thick and ultra-thick plates, or stimulating the application potential of the same power rate range, striving to create greater value for customers at lower costs, all bring new gospel for laser cutting applications. For the more common demand for sheet metal processing on the market, the 12000 HP Cutting God can help users truly achieve quality improvement, cost reduction, and efficiency increase, making it a cost-effective choice for customers.

It is worth mentioning that with the release of this cutting god cutting machine, the "power only theory" in the laser industry has been broken, and enterprises have found a new development direction in addition to increasing power - that is, they are committed to exploring the maximum potential of each power range product, allowing users to truly make the most of their use and value for money! Although the growth of the laser cutting market is no longer as rapid as a few years ago, the competitive model of intensive cultivation will give birth to more new concepts, and will also bring the Chinese laser cutting market from quantity growth to a new stage of quality upgrading.

About HGTECH

HGTECH is the pioneer and leader of laser industrial application in China, and the authoritative provider of global laser processing solutions. We comprehensively layout the construction of laser intelligent equipment, measurement and automation production lines, and smart factories to provide an overall solution for intelligent manufacturing.

We deeply grasp the development trend of manufacturing industry, constantly enrich products and solutions, adhere to exploring the integration of automation, informatization, intelligence and manufacturing industry, and provide various industries with laser cutting systems, laser welding systems, laser marking series, laser texturing complete equipment, laser heat treatment systems, laser drilling machines, lasers and various supporting devices The overall plan for the construction of special laser processing equipment and plasma cutting equipment, as well as automatic production lines and smart factories.