The fiber laser cutting machine has entered our life from the industrial field. The fiber laser cutting machine has the advantages of high cutting accuracy, suitable for the cutting of precision accessories and fine cutting of various craft words and drawings, fast cutting speed, small area of heat affected area, stable performance, continuous production, no deformation, smooth and beautiful cutting seams, and no need for subsequent processing. Fiber laser cutting machine has brought great changes to the global manufacturing industry, especially the sheet metal processing industry. More and more materials are suitable for cutting, but when cutting different materials with fiber laser cutting machine, the cutting method used should also be properly adjusted to achieve the ideal cutting quality.

When using laser beam as the processing method, the cutting edge will be slightly oxidized, which can be used for high-pressure cutting of plates with different thicknesses. In this case, the next step is to use the special steel plate laser device of the fiber laser cutting machine to smear oil on the surface of the work-piece during the processing, which can make the cutting effect better. When the edge oxidation is not important, no post-processing is required, and better results can be obtained without reducing the processing quality.

Different materials have different characteristics, and different types of lasers have different degrees of absorption. When some materials are cut by the fiber laser cutting machine to the laser of this band, in order to better process, appropriate adjustments should be made according to the cutting characteristics and requirements. So, what are the skills of fiber laser cutting machine to cut different metal materials?

1. Carbon steel cutting

When laser cutter is used to cut carbon steel, oxygen is used as auxiliary gas, and the cutting effect will be better. The thickness of laser cutting carbon steel plate can reach 25 mm. The cutting seam of carbon steel can be controlled in a satisfactory range by using the oxidation aid cutting mechanism, and the cutting seam of thin plate can be narrowed to about 0.1 mm. The use of oxygen as an auxiliary gas cutting can improve the cutting efficiency in a large format, and the oxide film produced in the cutting process can also improve the beam spectral absorption factor of the reflective material. The disadvantage is that the edge may be slightly oxidized when oxygen is used for processing. Therefore, for plates with a thickness of 4mm, nitrogen can be used as the processing gas for high-pressure cutting to avoid oxidation. For plates with a thickness of more than 10 mm, a good effect can be obtained by using a special electrode plate and coating the work-piece surface with oil during processing.

2. Cutting of copper and brass

Copper and brass are highly reflective materials. Basically, they cannot be cut with CO2 laser cutting machine, but need to be cut with a laser cutter with "anti-reflection device", otherwise the reflection will damage the components. Brass with thickness less than 1mm can be cut with nitrogen; Copper with thickness less than 2mm can be cut with oxygen.

3. Aluminum cutting

Like copper, aluminum is a material with high reflectivity and thermal conductivity in metal materials. When oxygen is used for cutting, the cutting surface is rough and hard. When nitrogen is used, the cutting surface is smooth and the effect is good. Pure aluminum is very difficult to cut because of its high purity. It can only be cut when a "reflection absorption" device is installed on the fiber laser cutting machine system, otherwise the reflection will damage the optical components. The thickness of aluminum cutting varies according to the power of the equipment. Generally speaking, the thickness of cutting stainless steel and carbon steel with the same equipment is thicker than that of cutting aluminum and other high anti material. For some aluminum alloys, attention should be paid to prevent the generation of microcracks between the surface of the slits. Although aluminum alloy has high reflectivity and heat conductivity, it can still cut aluminum materials with thickness less than 6mm, depending on the alloy type and laser power.

4. Stainless steel cutting

Laser cutting is an effective processing method for the manufacturing industry which mainly consists of stainless steel sheets. Under the condition of strictly controlling the heat input of laser cutting, the width of the heat affected zone of the cutting edge can be limited, thus ensuring the good corrosion resistance of stainless steel. The  fiber laser cutting machine generally uses nitrogen to cut stainless steel metal plates to obtain the edges without oxidation and burr. It can be directly welded without post-treatment. According to the material characteristics of stainless steel, it can accelerate the fluidity of liquid, so that the cutting efficiency is higher and faster. However, the effect of cutting with oxygen may be worse than that with nitrogen, resulting in black and unsmooth end faces. Coating oil film on the surface of stainless steel plate will achieve better perforation effect without reducing the processing quality.

5. Alloy steel

Most alloy structural steels and alloy tool steels can obtain good trimming quality by laser cutting. When oxygen is used as the processing gas, the cutting edge will be slightly oxidized. For plates up to 4mm thick, nitrogen can be used as the processing gas for high-pressure cutting. In this case, the cut edge will not be oxidized. For plates with a thickness of more than 10 mm, a good effect can be obtained by using a special electrode plate for the laser and coating the work-piece surface with oil during processing. For high-strength steel, as long as the process parameters are properly controlled, straight and slag free trimming can also be obtained.

6. Titanium and its alloys

Pure titanium can well couple the heat energy converted by the focused laser beam. When oxygen is used as the auxiliary gas, the chemical reaction is violent and the cutting speed is fast, but it is easy to generate oxide layer at the cutting edge, which may also cause over burning. Therefore, using air as auxiliary gas can ensure the cutting quality. Laser cutting of titanium alloy commonly used in aircraft manufacturing is of good quality. Although there will be a little sticky slag at the bottom of the cutting seam, it is easy to remove. Titanium plates are usually cut with nitrogen as processing gas.

7. Nickel base alloy

Nickel base alloys, also known as superalloys, have many varieties, most of which can be cut with laser oxidation aid, and the notch quality is good. Laser cutting equipment can be used to cut stainless steel with a thickness of less than 4mm. Adding oxygen to the laser beam can cut carbon steel with a thickness of 25mm. However, thin fluoride film will be formed on the cutting surface after oxygen cutting. The maximum thickness of cutting can be increased to 30mm, but the size error of cutting parts is large.

The material processing methods and problems of fiber laser cutting machine are different. The materials that can be processed by the fiber laser cutting machine cover most of the metals, and the problems in the cutting process are also different. The specific situation should be analyzed according to the actual cutting situation, and the problems should be timely fed back to the manufacturer for technical guidance.

About HGTECH: HGTECH is the pioneer and leader of laser industrial application in China, and the authoritative provider of global laser processing solutions. We have comprehensively arranged laser intelligent equipment, measurement and automation production lines, and smart factory construction to provide overall solutions for intelligent manufacturing.