Laser cutting uses a strong laser beam to focus light on a small area. This heats the material quickly until it boils and turns into vapor. The laser moves across the material’s surface to make a cut and finish the job.
- Excellent cutting quality: The small laser spot, high energy density, and fast cutting speed result in better cutting quality.
- Thin and narrow incisions: The incisions made through laser gas cutting are thin and narrow, with parallel sides and good perpendicularity to the surface.
- Smooth and attractive surfaces: The cutting surfaces are smooth and visually appealing, and in some cases, they can be used as the final processing step without the need for additional machining.
- Minimal impact on material properties: The width of the heat-affected zone is small after laser cutting, which means the material properties near the cut are hardly affected. Additionally, there is minimal workpiece deformation, ensuring high cutting accuracy.
The table below shows a comparison of cutting speed between laser cutting and other cutting methods for low carbon steel plates.
Comparison of cutting speed of several cutting methods:
| Cutting method | Laser cutting | Plasma cutting | Oxyacetylene cutting | Waterjet cutting |
| Cutting speed | Very fast | Fast | Slow | Very slow |
- High cutting speed: For instance, a 2500W laser can cut a 1mm thick cold-rolled carbon steel plate at a speed of 16-19 meters per minute.
- Non-contact cutting: Laser cutting is a non-contact process, meaning there is no physical contact between the nozzle and the workpiece, which eliminates the need to worry about tool wear.
Laser cutting accounts for 39% of the laser equipment market
The laser market experienced growth in 2020, but the rate of increase slowed down compared to the previous two years.
The market sales revenue of laser equipment (including imports) across all industries reached 69.2 billion yuan, with a year-on-year increase of 5.17%. The uncertain global economic trend predicts that China’s laser equipment market will reach a total sales revenue of 74.0 billion yuan in 2021, marking a 6.94% rise from the previous year. In the industrial laser equipment market, laser cutting is the most commonly used application, accounting for 39% of the market.
Following closely are marking and welding, representing 19% and 12% of the market, respectively.
Advance towards high power, high precision and large format
In recent years, domestic laser cutting machine technology has experienced significant advancements and is now moving towards higher power, higher precision, and larger format capabilities.
In line with China’s push towards intelligent manufacturing, the industrial sector is undergoing a transformation from traditional processing to high-end manufacturing.
Consequently, experts anticipate that the market scale of China’s laser cutting sector will sustain its rapid growth trajectory.
Application of compressed air in laser cutting
Laser cutting machines are capable of meeting the cutting requirements of a wide range of materials and complex shapes. Along with a high-energy laser, auxiliary gases are also necessary to complete the cutting process.
The commonly used auxiliary gases for laser cutting include oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2), and compressed air. Compressed air is the most accessible and affordable option compared to oxygen and nitrogen. It is frequently used as an auxiliary gas for laser cutting.
The quality of the compressed air has a direct impact on the quality of metal laser cutting. Factors such as gas pressure size and stability can affect the cutting outcome.
When selecting the size of the air compressor used for supporting the laser cutting machine, it is important to take into consideration the design of the laser cutting head, the required auxiliary gas pressure, and the nozzle size to ensure the best match between the air compressor and the laser cutting machine.
Comparison of laser cutting with different auxiliary gases
When performing laser cutting, the choice of cutting gas depends on the type of material being cut. The selection of the cutting gas and its pressure can significantly impact the quality of the laser cutting process.
The most commonly used auxiliary gases for laser cutting include oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2), compressed air, and in some cases, argon (Ar).
The cutting gas can be categorized into high-pressure gas and low-pressure gas based on its pressure.
The main functions of laser cutting auxiliary gases include supporting combustion and heat dissipation, removing the molten residue generated during cutting, preventing the molten residue from rebounding back into the nozzle, and protecting the focusing lens.
