What are the advantages and disadvantages of optical fiber in metal cutting compared with traditional carbon dioxide cutting machines?

1.

As the mainstream traditional laser cutting, CO2 lasers are used, which can stably cut carbon steel within 20mm, stainless steel within 10mm, and aluminum alloy below 8mm. The fiber laser has obvious advantages when cutting thin plates within 4mm, and the quality of cutting thick plates is poor due to the influence of the wavelength of the solid-state laser. Laser cutting machines are not omnipotent. The wavelength of CO2 lasers is 10.6um, and the wavelength of solid-state lasers such as YAG or fiber lasers is 1.06um. The former is relatively easy to be absorbed by non-metals and can cut wood, acrylic, PP, plexiglass with high quality. Other non-metallic materials, the latter is not easily absorbed by non-metals, so non-metallic materials cannot be cut, but the two lasers are helpless when they encounter high-reflective materials such as copper, silver, and pure aluminum.

2.

It is precisely because the wavelengths of CO2 and fiber lasers differ by an order of magnitude, the former cannot be transmitted by optical fibers, and the latter can be transmitted by optical fibers, which greatly increases the degree of flexibility in processing. In the early days before the launch of fiber lasers on the market, in order to achieve three-dimensional processing, optical joint technology was used to guide the CO2 laser to the three-dimensional curved surface through a highly precise and coordinated dynamic combined mirror system to achieve the three-dimensional processing of the CO2 laser. This technology is due to the domestic precision The limitations of processing technology are mainly in the hands of a few developed countries in Europe and America, which are expensive and require high maintenance. As the market share of fiber lasers is gradually expanding, it has gradually lost its market. Because fiber laser can be transmitted through optical fiber, the degree of flexibility has been unprecedentedly improved, especially for the automotive industry, because it is basically a thin plate surface processing of about 1mm, and the fiber laser cooperates with the same flexible robot system, which has low cost and fewer failure points. , Maintenance is convenient, and the speed is surprisingly fast, and it does my part to occupy this market steadily.

3.

The photoelectric conversion rate of fiber laser is as high as 25%, while the photoelectric conversion rate of CO2 laser is only about 10%. The advantages of fiber laser in terms of electricity consumption and supporting cooling system are quite obvious. If there are more fiber laser manufacturers, the price If it is more suitable and solves the thick plate cutting process, the threat to CO2 laser will be huge. However, as an emerging laser technology, fiber laser is far less popular than CO2 laser. Its stability, reliability, and convenience of after-sales service are yet to be observed by the market.

According to international safety standards, laser hazard levels are divided into 4 levels. CO2 lasers are the least hazardous level, while fiber lasers are the most hazardous level due to the short wavelength of the human body because they are harmful to the human body. For safety reasons, fiber lasers Processing requires a totally enclosed environment.

The direction of laser application should be the application of high-power CO2 lasers to more stable, larger-format, and faster machine tools. For surface processing below 2mm, fiber laser is more advantageous.