Fiber Laser Cutters: Revolutionizing the Manufacturing Industry

Undoubtedly, fiber laser cutters have ushered in a new era in the manufacturing industry, providing faster, more efficient, and precise cutting capabilities. Their versatility and ability to cut metals with exact proportions render them an invaluable asset for metalworkers and manufacturing firms. From sheet metals to profiles and pipes, these cutting machines have proven to be an indispensable tool in industries such as automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing, as well as for hobbyists and small businesses.

If you are seeking a new cutting system to shape metal for your business or to craft your next sleek design, Hymson Laser is here to provide comprehensive instructions and guidelines to consider before making your purchase.

Definition

A fiber laser cutter is an automated laser cutting machine equipped with a CNC controller. It is used to cut precise metal shapes, contours, lines, and prototypes on sheet metals, pipes, and profiles at high speed. This creates metal parts, signs, arts, crafts, gifts, puzzles, and decorations. It is designed for all types of metal fabrication, serving as your reliable metalworking partner. It comes with various laser power options (ranging from 1000W to 40000W) for cutting through different thicknesses and types of metal including carbon steel, stainless steel, electrical steel, tool steel, galvanized steel, mild steel, aluminum zinc, aluminum alloy, aluminum, titanium alloy, iron, brass, and copper.

How Fiber Laser Cutters Improve Manufacturing Efficiency?

Fiber laser cutters, with their faster cutting speed, higher precision, and less maintenance, provide superior manufacturing support compared to other traditional cutting tools. This means that in a short time, you can enhance your production capability. As a business owner, this translates into cost savings when you have such a tool in your repertoire.

A fiber laser is a type of high-energy beam based on a fiber amplifier that uses glass fiber doped with rare earth ions as the gain medium. The pump light irradiates the rare-earth-doped glass fiber pump source, which induces the rare-earth ions to absorb photons, and the excited radiation has the same frequency as the incident photons. Under the action of pump light, it is easy to form high power density in the fiber, which results in population inversion of the laser working substance. When a positive feedback loop (constituting a resonant cavity) is properly added, the laser oscillation output can be formed. These laser cutters have a wide range of applications, including material processing, communications, medical beauty, scientific research and military, instrumentation and sensors. It has been used for cutting, engraving, etching, marking, welding, surface treatment, cleaning, cladding, and some other applications.

The pump light entering the fiber has multiple modes, and different pump modes have different effects on different signal modes, making the analysis of laser generators and amplifiers more complicated. The doping profile in the fiber also has a great influence on the laser generator. In order to make the medium have gain features, the fiber is doped with working ions (i.e., impurities). The working ions are uniformly distributed, whereas the distribution of the pump light is non-uniform. Therefore, to improve the pumping efficiency, the ion distribution and the pumping energy distribution should be as close as possible.

Fiber laser generators are similar to traditional gas and solid laser generators, which are composed of pump sources, resonators, gain media. The pump light is coupled into the gain fiber through the optical system, and the gain fiber generates spontaneous emission after absorbing the pump light, and outputs a stable beam.

Applications

The fiber laser cutting machine is an automatic smart metal cutting tool kit with a computer numerical controlled system. It cuts through metal sheets, tubes, and profiles madeof stainless steel, mild steel, carbon steel, galvanized steel, tool steel, brass, copper, iron, gold, silver, titanium, and aluminum. It is professional in cutting out any profile on high-precision auto parts, ship fittings, aircraft accessories, and is ideal for cutting out any shape on kitchen utensils, lighting, jewelry, decorations, signs. It also serves as a reliable assistant for personalized metal fabrication businesses.

Industrial Applications

The fiber laser cutter finds its use in various industries such as electronics, automobiles, aviation, aerospace, auto parts, subway parts, electrical appliances, textile machinery, precision accessories, engineering machinery, food machinery, shipbuilding, household appliances, metallurgical equipment, tool machining, elevators, metal arts, metal crafts, metal gifts, metal decorations, advertising, kitchenware, metal external machining, and many other manufacturing industries.

Cutting Materials

The fiber laser cutter can cut a wide range of materials including carbon steel, stainless steel, silicon steel, alloy steel, spring steel, mild steel, aluminum, galvanized steel, tool steel, aluminized zinc plate, copper, brass, pickling sheet, titanium, silver, gold, iron, alloy, and other metal sheets and tubes.

How To Laser Cut Metal with CNC Controller?

A laser cutter uses a generator with the CNC control system to dope the pump material into the optical fiber, and the laser of a specific wavelength emitted by the semiconductor laser is coupled to make the optical fiber generate a beam. Then, the machine converges the beam into a small diameter spot to form a beam of high energy density and extremely bright light, which acts on the metal to be cut, causing the temperature of the metal at the irradiation point to rise sharply and reach the vaporization temperature instantaneously, causing evaporation and forming holes. The machine uses this as the starting point, according to the shape requirements of the part to be cut, the beam and the part are moved relative to each other according to a certain trajectory to form a slit. At the same time, the auxiliary gas blowing device is used to remove the slag.

How Thick of Metal Can You Cut with a Fiber Laser?

This type of cutting machine has the ability to cut various thicknesses of different types of metals and alloys. Every brand of laser generator features its own unique pros and cons for cutting metals. In the case of the same generator, different powers will result in different maximum metal cutting thicknesses.

• 1000W power supplies can cut carbon steel up to 10mm thick, stainless steel up to 5mm, aluminum and copper up to 3mm.
• 1500W power supplies can cut stainless steel up to 6mm, carbon steel up to 16mm thick, aluminum and copper up to 5mm.
• 2000W power supplies can cut carbon steel up to 16mm thick, maximum 8mm stainless steel and aluminum, and maximum 6mm brass & copper.
• 3000W power supplies can cut carbon steel up to 20mm thick, stainless steel and aluminum up to 10mm, brass & copper up to 8mm.
• 4000W power supplies can cut stainless steel up to 12mm, carbon steel up to 22mm thick, aluminum up to 14mm, copper & brass up to 10mm.
• 6000W power supplies can cut carbon steel up to 25mm thick, stainless steel and aluminum up to 16mm, copper & brass up to 10mm.
• 8000W power supplies can cut stainless steel and aluminum up to 25mm, carbon steel up to 30mm thick, brass & copper up to 12mm.
• 12,000W power supplies can cut carbonsteel up to 35mm thick, stainless steel and aluminum up to 30mm, brass & copper up to 16mm.
• 15,000W power supplies can cut carbon steel up to 40mm thick, stainless steel and aluminum up to 35mm, brass & copper up to 20mm.
• 20,000W power supplies can cut carbon steel up to 50mm thick, stainless steel and aluminum up to 40mm, brass & copper up to 25mm.

How to Choose the Right Fiber Laser Cutter?

When choosing a fiber laser cutter, you need to consider several factors:

1. Cutting Materials and Thickness: The first thing to consider is the type and thickness of the materials you will be cutting. Different power levels are suitable for different materials and thicknesses.
2. Cutting Speed: The cutting speed is also an important factor. Higher power levels allow for faster cutting speeds.
3. Cutting Quality: The quality of the cut is also crucial. Higher power levels generally provide better cut quality.
4. Power Consumption: Power consumption is another factor to consider. Higher power levels consume more power, which can increase operating costs.
5. Maintenance and Operating Costs: Maintenance and operating costs are also important considerations. Fiber laser cutters generally require less maintenance than other types of laser cutters, but they still require regular maintenance to ensure optimal performance.
6. Budget: Your budget is also a key factor. Higher power levels and more advanced features generally come with a higher price tag.
7. Brand and After-sales Service: The brand and after-sales service are also important considerations. Choose a reputable brand with good after-sales service to ensure that you can get help if you encounter any problems with your machine.

Pricing and Cost Analysis

The financial commitment for a fiber laser cutter is determined by several factors:

1. CNC spare parts: This includes the machine bed frame, generator, cutting head, water chiller, gas cylinder, air storage tank, power supply, air compressor, cooling dryer, filter, exhaust fan and dust remover, and slag extractor.
2. Cutting system and software
3. Shipping costs
4. Tax rates
5. Customs clearance
6. Service and technical support

On average, the market price for fiber laser cutters hovers around $39,800, as per data from Amazon, Google, and Hymson Laser.

An economical entry-level cutter ranges from $14,200 to $32,800, offering lower power capabilities of 1000W and 1500W, suitable for beginners and hobbyists. The top-rated automatic cutting system starts from $29,800, offering medium powers of 2000W, 3000W, 4000W, and 6000W, ideal for precision cutting in commercial use. High-speed industrial cutting machines, designed for thick metal fabrication in professional use, are priced from $88,000 to $500,000+ with higher powers of 8000W, 10000W, 12000W, 15000W, 20000W, 30000W, 40000W. A budget-friendly fiber & CO2 combo laser cutting machine starts from $19,800, suitable for multipurpose cutting of metal, wood, MDF, plywood, acrylic, plastic, fabric, and leather.

A low-cost sheet metal cutter is priced from $15,000, while high power sheet metal cutters can cost up to $300,000+. Tube cutters range from $45,500 to $117,500, accommodating all types of pipe cuts. All-in-one sheet metal and tube cutting machines are priced from $42,500 to $236,800. An automatic industrial 3D cutting robot will cost from $49,000 to $83,500, designed for multi-dimensional & multi-angle metal cuts.

Specifications

Brand: Hymson Laser

Laser Type: Fiber

Laser Source: Raycus/IPG

Laser Power: 1000W – 40000W

Laser Wavelength: 1064 nm

Cooling System: Water Chiller

Max Cutting Thickness: 200mm

Max Cutting Speed: 60m/min

Price Range: $14,200.00 – $260,000.00

Applications: Sheet Metals and Metal Tubes

Features

1. High Electro-Optical Conversion Efficiency: Over 30% efficiency, negating the need for a chiller in low-power laser machines. Air cooling significantly reduces power consumption during operation, saves labor costs, and maximizes manufacturing efficiency.
2. Low Operation and Maintenance Costs: Only requires electrical energy during operation without additional gas.
3. Semiconductor Modular and Redundant Design: There is no optical lens in the resonant cavity, no start-up time, and it has the advantages of no adjustment, maintenance, and high stability. This reduces the cost of accessories and maintenance time.
4. High Quality Beam: The wavelength is 1.064 microns, which produces a high-quality, high-power density beam, conducive to the absorption of metal materials.
5. Optical Transmission: The entire machine’s optical transmission is through optical fiber, eliminating the need for a complicated light guide system such as a reflecting mirror. This results in a simple, stable optical path that is maintenance-free.
6. Cutting Head with Protective Lens: This minimizes the consumption of expensive consumables like focusing lenses.
7. Simplified Mechanical Systems Design: The design allows easy integration with multidimensional platforms or industrial robots.
8. Optical Shutter Addition: The addition of an optical shutter allows for multi-machine operation, splitting through the optical fiber into multiple channels for simultaneous work. This makes function expansion and upgrading easy and straightforward.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Fiber laser cutting technology outputs a high-energy density beam that instantly melts and vaporizes the area on the part irradiated by the ultra-fine focus spot. The spot is moved through the CNC controller to realize automatic cutting. Compared with bulky gas and solid lasers, it has distinct advantages and has become a significant contender in high-precision cutting, lidar systems, space technology, medicine, and other applications.

It can be used for flatbed cutting and bevel cutting, and the edges are neat and smooth. It is suitable for precision cutting of sheet metals. In addition, the robotic arm can perform 3D cutting instead of the 5-axis laser cutter. Compared with CO2 laser cutters, these cutters save space and gas consumption and have a high photoelectric conversion rate. They are new power tools of energy-saving and environmental protection, and also one of the world’s leading technological CNC machine tools.

1. High Accuracy: The positioning accuracy is 0.05mm, and the repeated positioning accuracy is 0.03mm.
2. Narrow Slit: The beam is focused into a small spot, so that the focus reaches a high power density, quickly heating the material to the point of vaporization, and the holes are vaporized. With the relative linear motion of the light beam and the material, the hole continuously forms a narrow slit, and the width of the slit is generally 0.10-0.20mm.
3. Smooth Cutting Edge: There is no burr on the cutting edge, and the roughness of the cutting surface is generally controlled within Ra6.5.
4. High Speed: The cutting speed can reach 10m/min, and the maximum positioning speed can reach 30m/min, which is much faster than other metal cutting tools.
5. High Quality: It is a non-contact cutting, which endures little thermal influence, the part basically has no thermal deformation, and completely avoids the slump formed when the material is punched and sheared.
6. Non-Destructive Cutting: The cutting head does not come into contact with the surface of the substrate, ensuring that the parts are not scratched.
7. Good Flexibility: It has good flexibility to cut any graphics, including metal pipes and other shaped metals.
8. Dieless Cutting: It does not require mold consumption, saves time and operating costs, reduces manufacturing costs, and is suitable for commercial use in large-scale industrial production.
9. Material Saving: With CNC programming, the parts of different shapes can be cut to maximize the utilization rate of materials.
10. Easy to Use: Using CAD software to design graphics, using CAM software to model and output files, using CNC controller to drive the machine to achieve automatic metal cutting.
11. Safety and Environmental Protection: Less waste, low noise, clean, safe and pollution-free, greatly improving the working environment.

Advantages Compared with CO2 Laser Cutting Machine

1. Higher Beam Quality: The focus spot is smaller, the cutting line is finer, the working efficiency is higher, and the cutting quality is better.
2. Higher Cutting Speed: 2 times the same power CO2 laser cutter.
3. Higher Stability: Stable performance and the service life of key components can reach 100,000 hours.
4. HigherElectro-Optical Conversion Efficiency: The photoelectric conversion efficiency of fiber laser cutter is about 30%, which is 3 times higher than that of CO2 laser, energy saving and environmental protection.
5. Lower Cost of Use: The power consumption of the whole machine is only 20-30% of the similar CO2 laser.
6. Lower Maintenance Cost: No working gas, no need for reflective lenses, save a lot of maintenance costs.
7. Convenient Product Operation and Maintenance: Optical fiber transmission, no need to adjust the optical path.

However, compared with carbon dioxide laser cutter, the cutting range of optical fiber is relatively narrow. Due to the wavelength, it can only cut metal materials, and it is not easy to be absorbed by non-metals, which affects its cutting range.

Advantages Compared with YAG Laser Cutting Machine

1. Higher Cutting Speed: The speed is 4-5 times that of YAG, suitable for mass processing and production.
2. Lower Cost of Use: The cost of use is less than that of YAG solid laser cutting.
3. Photoelectric Conversion Efficiency: The photoelectric conversion efficiency is about 10 times that of YAG.

The price of the corresponding is relatively high, so the price is much higher than that of YAG laser, but much lower than that of carbon dioxide laser cutter. But its cost-performance ratio is indeed the highest of the three.

Cons

Long-term exposure to the cutting machine can cause serious damage to the retina of the eye. All operators must wear goggles. Do not operate and observe with eyes exposed. In the cutting path of the machine, it is necessary to avoid the position of any part of the body, so as not to accidentally cause unnecessary injury.

The impact of dust during cutting on the human body. Using the machine in an unsuitable working environment will have the impact of dust. Working in a dusty environment for a long time will also cause great damage to the lungs and trachea. Improper protection will cause lung and respiratory diseases.

Oxygen is often used in the cutting process, and sparks flying during the cutting process can easily cause fire. Therefore, there should be no inflammable and explosive materials in the working area, and corresponding protective facilities should be provided at the same time.

As far as the material is concerned, the addition of the material itself or the coating on the material will produce components that are harmful to the human body at high temperatures, so it should be noted.

Safety depends on the safety guidance of the manufacturer and whether the protective equipment purchased by the enterprise meets the protective standards. Different types of machines have different degrees of damage to the human body, especially the eyes and skin. The exact grade depends on the operator’s manual. First, each device comes with a protective goggle. During the cutting process, do not look at the laser for a long time, and do not look too close without a protective cover to avoid the cutting slag splashing on your body. Now almost all equipment is equipped with a dust removal system, which is basically not affected by smoke and dust. The metamorphic laser gas contains a small amount of carbon monoxide, and the carbon monoxide content is very small and will not cause harm to the human body.

Care & Maintenance

When using these machines to cut projects, it is necessary to learn the use and maintenance skills, in order to better exert the effectiveness of the equipment and maximize the efficiency of the equipment.

1. Conveyor Belt: The conveyor belt needs to be checked frequently to ensure the tension. The conveyor belt may seem like an inconsequential component, but the danger posed by it cannot be ignored. Mistakes during operation may result in personal injury or even death. 2.Track Straightness: Check the straightness of the track and the verticality of the machine every six months, and find that it is abnormal and timely maintenance and debugging. Without this, the effect of cutting may not be very good, the error will increase, affecting the cutting quality. This is the top priority and must be done.
2. Dust Removal: Use a vacuum cleaner to suck off the dust and dirt in the machine once a week. All electrical cabinets should be closed and dustproof.
3. Guide Rails: The guide rails should be cleaned frequently to remove dust and other debris, to ensure that the equipment racks are cleaned frequently, and lubricating oil is added to ensure lubrication without debris. The guide rail should be cleaned and lubricated frequently, and the motor should also be cleaned and lubricated frequently, the machine can move better during cutting, cut more accurately, and the quality of the cut product will improve.
4. Damage Check: If any damage is found in the process of using the machine, it must be replaced in time, which is not only a type of protection for the machine itself, but also ensures that the machine always maintains an ideal cutting effect.

A fiber laser cutter needs regular inspection and maintenance. If there is deformation or other forms, you should know that the cutting head has been damaged a little at this time, and you need to replace it. Failure to replace will affect the cutting quality and increase the cost, and some products may need to be reprocessed to reduce production efficiency.

Caution

1. Power Socket: Make the power socket in good contact and the ground wire well grounded.
2. Water Chiller Voltage: Make the voltage of the water chiller stable. Since the refrigeration compressor is sensitive to the power supply voltage, the standard working voltage is 200 ~ 250V (100 ~ 130V for 110V models). If you really need a wider operating voltage range, you can customize it separately.
3. Power Frequency: The mismatch of power frequency will cause damage to the machine. Please use 50Hz or 60Hz models according to the actual situation.
4. Water Pump: To protect the circulating water pump, running without water is strictly prohibited. Before packing a new machine, the water tank must be emptied. Please make sure that the water tank is full of water before starting the machine, otherwise the water pump will be easily damaged. When the water level of the water tank is lower than the minimum requirement of the water level gauge, the cooling capacity of the chiller will drop, and the water level must be within the required range. The use of circulating pump drainage is strictly prohibited.
5. Air Inlet and Outlet Channels: Make sure that the air inlet and outlet channels of the chiller are smooth. The air outlet above the chiller must be at least 1250px away from the obstacle, and the side air inlet must be at least 500px away from the obstacle.
6. Air Inlet Filter: The air inlet filter must be cleaned regularly. The air filter must be removed and cleaned regularly. Serious blockage of the air filter will cause the chiller to malfunction.
7. Condensation Effect: When the water temperature is lower than the ambient temperature and the ambient humidity is high, condensation water will be generated on the surface of the circulating water pipe and the device to be cooled. When the above situation occurs, it is recommended to increase the water temperature or insulate the water pipe and the cooled device.
8. Professional Operation: This type of laser machine is an industrial equipment, please do not allow non-professionals to operate.

Trends

Laser cutting is one of the most pivotal application technologies in the manufacturing industry. Technological workers continue to explore the technology and promote the continuous development of laser cutting technology. At the same time, companies need to step out of price competition and practice internal skills. Because of their numerous advantages, they have been widely used in automobile, rolling stock manufacturing, aviation, chemical industry, light industry, electrical appliances and electronics, petroleum and metallurgy.

With the increase of power, laser cutting is evolving from light industrial thin metal fabrication to heavy industrial thick metal, and due to the improvement of high-power laser beam mode and the application of 32-bit microcomputer, favorable conditions have been created for high speed and high precision.

In order to meet the needs of 3D metal cutting in the automotive and aerospace industries, a variety of 5-axis and 6-axis 3D laser cutters have been developed. Currently, marine steel plate cutting generally uses flame cutting and plasma cutting. Deck and hull materials of special materials cannot be accurately cut. Laser cutter manufacturers may wish to try high-tech operations, vigorously develop computer network engineering, and improve business efficiency through the improvement of office tools.

At the same time, the high-precision 3D robot laser cutter has important strategic significance for improving the level of aerospace technology equipment. As the volume becomes smaller, the power increases and the auxiliary devices continue to improve for thick plate cutting and large format metal fabrication. The generator, power supply, host, control system and cooling circulation device are closely combined to form a complete set of compact laser cutter with small footprint and perfect function.

Strengthen the close connection with upstream and downstream enterprises in the supply chain to form a highly competitive and concentrated CNC laser cutter business circle. For some manufacturers, it is of great significance to enhance their competitiveness and expand market share. Focus on product structure optimization, product quality improvement, core technology mastery and innovation, and the expansion of corporate brand influence.

Buyer’s Guide

A higher laser power of the machine will deliver better cutting capability. Therefore, we always recommend to our customers to choose these kind of machines with higher laser capability. The higher the power of the laser, the better the machine will be able to cut metals. At the same time, the software that would maneuver the machine is also worth checking. A user-friendly software interface will make that look easy for a person who will maneuver the machine. You may also look at the cooling system of the tool kit. it will save the machine from excess heat.

It is always necessary that you always look at the costs that you will have to spend for maintenance. It may look like a better purchase when the total cost of the machine seems lower. But in the long-term scenario, this can force you to spend higher on the maintenance.

Last but not the least; consider from where you are making the purchase. I mean the reputation of the company or manufacturer matters in the long run. That is from where you will get the customer support in case you face any difficulties while using the tool.

About Hymson Laser

What do you think makes a good manufacturer? When you love the quality of their delivered products or the technical support that you get after the purchase, you name the brand as trustworthy. Hymson Laser is renowned for delivering extra ordinary technical assistance and support when you need them the most. At the same time, Hymson Laser always ensures that you get best rated machine that you need to get wholesome output. Grab your desired machine from the brand, and you certainly will love the decision that you did so.

Conclusion

Fiber laser cutters have revolutionized the manufacturing industry with their high precision, speed, and efficiency. They are versatile tools that can cut a wide range of materials and thicknesses, making them invaluable for many industries. When choosing a fiber laser cutter, it’s important to consider the type and thickness of the materials you’ll be cutting, the cutting speed and quality, power consumption, maintenance and operating costs, your budget, and the brand and after-sales service.