Comparison of traditional cutting technology and laser cutting technology

   With the rapid development of the metal processing industry today, due to production needs, the demands for cutting metal materials of different materials, thicknesses, and shapes have greatly increased, which poses a severe challenge to metal cutting technology. The competition in the metal processing industry has become more and more fierce. Nowadays, the metal cutting technology on the market is facing the process of converting the old to the new one, with varieties of methods. So, how to choose one in so many metal processing methods that fittest your equipment.

  First of all, let’s learn about the advantages and disadvantages of traditional processing industry technology. The traditional cutting method mainly includes CNC shearing machines, punching machines, flame-cutting, plasma cutting, and high-pressure water cutting. 

Shearing machine

   A shearing machine, also known as a steel plate shearer, is a machine that uses one blade to reciprocate linear motion relative to the other blade to cut the plate. It belongs to one kind of forging machinery and mainly applies to metal plate processing that only needs straight cutting. This kind of equipment has low cost and simple operation. The purpose relatively single, not flexible, and don’t support cutting a variety of graphics pattern. 

Punching machine

   The punch is a punching press, which is mainly suitable for cutting simple graphics such as square holes and round holes, which improves the flexibility in curve processing. Some specific metal sheet workpieces can be processed at one time, and the processing speed of thin plates is fast. Disadvantages: First, the ability to stamp thick metal plates is limited, and the main processing objects are carbon steel plates with a size of less than 2mm. Second, the punching 

process is highly dependent on molds, and mold development circle are long, production costs are increased, and the degree of flexibility is not high. The third is that the processing surface of the thick steel plate is not smooth, and it is easy to produce collapse grooves, and the conventional forming will cause certain damage to the outer surface of the material, and processing noise is loud. 

Flame cutting

   Flame cutting is the initial thermal cutting method, namely gas cutting. Traditional flame cutting has experienced acetylene gas cutting, propane cutting, and now the widely used natural gas cutting. The cost of flame cutting equipment is low, it supports the cutting of thick steel plates, and the market has a very large stock; its disadvantages are that the cutting thermal deformation is too large, the slit is too wide, and the utilization rate of the plate is low. It is only suitable for rough processing products and requires secondary processing.

Plasma cutting

  Plasma cutting is a processing method that uses the heat of a high-temperature plasma arc to melt and evaporate the metal part or part of the incision of the workpiece and uses the momentum of the high-speed plasma to remove the molten metal to form an incision. The advantage is that the cutting speed is fast, the cutting surface is smooth, and it supports various metals that are difficult to cut by oxygen, especially for non-ferrous metals. The disadvantage is that the cutting seam is wider, the cutting surface is not smooth, and it is easy to produce a large amount of metal dust, glare, etc problem. Production safety cannot be effectively guaranteed.

High-pressure water cutting

  High-pressure water cutting, commonly known as “water jet” cutting, this method uses high-speed water jet cutting technology, has the characteristics of strong cutting power, low cost, applied to cutting a variety of materials, and adaptable to thick plate cutting. The disadvantage is that “water jet cutting” when cutting with high hardness or thick plates, the speed becomes slow, the operating environment is chaotic., and the consumables are high. 

  The above-mentioned traditional cutting processes are well-known and applied by manufacturers due to their price advantages and functions, but in the production process, the disadvantages of traditional cutting processes are quickly revealed. Rough metal processing and the need for a large amount of mold support have led to increased production costs and a waste of time and manpower is particularly serious. In addition, news of complex production processes, uneven product quality, and production speeds that cannot keep up with order demand is common. In order to overcome this production problem and conform to the development of the times, intelligent and efficient fiber laser cutting machines have emerged.

        The laser cutting machine is to focus the laser light emitted from the laser into a high-power and high-density laser beam through the optical path system. The laser beam irradiates the surface of the workpiece to make the workpiece reach the melting point or boiling point, and the high-pressure gas coaxial with the beam blows away the molten or vaporized metal. As the relative position of the beam and the workpiece moves, the materials will eventually form silt, so as to achieve the purpose of cutting. The laser cutting process uses invisible light beams instead of traditional mechanical cutting knives.

  Compared to traditional cutting methods, laser cutter have characteristics of higher cutting precision, faster-cutting speed, and the cutting surface is flat and smooth, without burrs and dregs. Non-contact processing between the laser head and workpiece will not cause scratches on the surface of the workpiece, eliminating the need for secondary polishing. Laser cutting machine has high precision in processing production, and it can improve the utilization of materials and save production cost. Laser cutting machine supports cutting any complex graphics and characters through professional cutting apps controlled by the computer, greatly saves the cost of employment and time for enterprise, realizes high-degree automatic process and production, and promises quality cutting also improves production efficiency. The laser cutting machine is not only suitable for the processing of precision parts, but also for the processing of large metal plates and pipes. It has the incomparable production advantages of other traditional cutting processes.

  At present, laser cutting machine plays an important role in metal processing technology. From the long-term perspective, the laser cutting machine has a positive effect in various industries. Not only curtail product processing circle, rapidly improve production efficiency, but also decrease material consumption rate and increase material utilization rate. Due to its broad prospects for development, many manufacturers begin to follow and use laser cutting machines to produce.

  As an intelligent high-end laser cutting equipment manufacturer, oree laser focuses on R&D, production, and sale of the low, medium, and high power laser cutting equipment, welding equipment, and automatic production line. Oree laser launches varieties of machine modules for users to choose to satisfy different production needs, including ultra-high power, super large-format laser cutting equipment. The oree production line is produced in strict accordance with specifications and standards of the manufacturing quality control system, and the products have been sold to more than 150 countries and regions, which have won unanimous praise from users at home and abroad.

  Nowadays, laser cutting machines have been widely applied in automotive sheet metal, chassis cabinet, advertising decoration, construction machinery, agricultural machinery, electrical appliances, shipbuilding industry, refrigeration equipment , and other industries. In the future, the using market of laser cutting machines will continuously extend. Laser cutting machines will be the best choice to increase corporate profit, enhance corporate competitiveness, and help metal processing production, transformation, and upgrading.

Professional Laser Cutting Machine Manufacturer - OreeLaser