Hi, my name is Trevor Hamblin and I have written this blog about industrial equipment and supplies. It's very important that business owners keep the necessary supplies and equipment on hand to run their operation efficiently. I became interested in industrial equipment and supplies after talking with my neighbor who owns his own business. I never realized how many different supplies were needed to run a business until he explained it to me. After we spoke, I started doing some research on my own and found out a lot more information. Since I believe this is important advice that every business owner should know, I wanted to write a blog about it. I hope that after learning about the industrial equipment and supplies that are needed, you'll also have a better understanding of all that's required.
When you have a metal part that you need to produce and need it to be high quality, laser cutting might be the perfect fit for your project. The process has some very attractive benefits for you, and if you need to repeat the part many times over, the precision achieved will allow that. Laser cutting can also be used on many different metals, offering you flexibility in your material choices. Read on to learn the answers to some specific questions about laser cutting.
What Is Laser Cutting?
Metals are easily cut using many different tools, but laser cutting offers the most precise option. This process uses a focused laser to cut through metal and remove material. Because the laser is so focused, the heat is concentrated at the cut so the material extending out from the cut is not affected by it. There is no slag left behind in the cut as there is with torch cutting, and the amount of material removed is far less than that of a plasma cutter.
What Are CNC Lasers?
Like CNC (computer numerical control) machining, laser cutting can be setup to use a CNC system. The benefit is that the program used to control the machine can be precisely controlled over a three-dimensional axis. This allows the laser to cut just about any shape out of the metal and it creates a repeatable process that can be run over and over again with very little interaction from the operator. The machine must be monitored for accuracy and the material loaded after each run, but the operator does not need to set up the process each time, saving time for your project.
Can Plastics Be Cut With a Laser?
While plastics can be cut with a laser, the wattage or power output of the laser must be much lower than that used for metals. A laser designed to cut steel will operate somewhere between 2000 and 4000 watts and would destroy the plastic if you tried to use it for that purpose. Lower wattage laser systems can be used for high-density plastics and ABS materials.
What Are the Cost Savings Of Laser Cutting?
If you have even had a metal part machines or produced by hand, you know that the cost can be very high, and to hire an accomplished machinist to produce multiple copies is even more expensive. The machinist must set the part up each time, and the process can take time. With laser cutting, the process is much faster. Repeating the cut over and over takes less time, and therefore the cost of the work is lower. On big runs of parts, this can translate into a large amount of money saved in time.
Share3 April 2017
