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Why use a CNC Laser Cutting Machine for your Sheet Metal Fabrication Project?
A Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Laser Cutting Machine is ideal for metal prototypes, short production runs and projects requiring a thicker sheet of material. Using sheet metal laser cut fabrication techniques, there is:
• No need for hard tooling
• Almost no setup time
• Minimal manual labor
• Very little engineering time
Imagine this. It's possible for us to receive your electronic part file and start cutting sheet metal parts with a laser the same day. Several of our CNC Laser cutters even have automatic loading and unloading units - allowing these machines to run lights-out! CNC Laser cutting technology is always improving, getting faster and more precise each year.
How Does the CNC Laser Fabricate Sheet Metal?
| Metal cutting lasers use carbon dioxide (CO2) gas and a high voltage system to excite the gas and cause it to emit a single wavelength of light. The light is focused with an optics system, which directs the light onto the metal sheet. The optics system reduces the light beam to the narrow diameter of .0008 and uses the beam to cut the metal. The laser's bed moves on one access and the beam moves on another. |
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| Then the machine uses a shielding gas - usually a nitrogen-oxygen mixture - to blow away the vaporized metal and aid combustion. Oxygen is an accelerant (Excothermic) which assists in the burning of sheet metal. This gas helps the laser beam cut faster. Nitrogen is an inert gas, which means that it doesn't assist in cutting. Instead, it's used to blow vaporized material away from the cutting surface. This will clean up the cut and help reduce DROSS (The slag finish on the outside of the laser cut part). Newer laser cutting machines can even pull nitrogen directly from the air. |
CNC Laser Cutting |
The CNC Laser cutting process makes "shaker" parts, as they're known in the industry. When the laser is cutting parts out of a sheet of material it leaves several "Micro-ties" that will hold the cut parts together in the sheet. After the sheet is run, the operator with shake the sheet, or lightly tap the parts with a rubber hammer and the parts will release onto a table.
What is the Benefit of CNC Laser Cutting in Sheet Metal Fabrication?
Once a blank is cut using a laser, it can be formed using a press brake or modular tooling.
Blanks cut on a laser will have no burr (which is present with a metal stamped part) and no nibble marks (as you might see with a Turret Press part). The result is a smooth cut with tight tolerances. Another use of the laser is for engraving graphics or patterns in the parts.
CNC laser cutting offers extreme accuracy and cost efficiency. Our newest laser at Dayton Rogers boasts repeatable accuracy of (+/- 0.00039). This model also provides a stable cutting beam at speeds up to 1,500 inches per minute! Typical sheet sizes for laser cutting machines are 4' x 8' or 5' x 10', and material thickness ranges from very thin up to an inch. CNC Laser Cutters are designed to work with a variety of material, including:
• Steel
• Stainless Steel
• Aluminum Alloys
• Titanium
• And More!
Contact the Dayton Rogers Process Engineers to find out how your product can benefit from this state-of-the-art, cost efficient technology. Contact Us