what is the difference between the co2 and fiber laser cutter?

Due to the different physical characteristics of lasers, CO2 lasers and fiber lasers have different processes. That is to say that both they all have their own strengths and weaknesses, and its own advantages and disadvantages depending on the processing objects.

Defination

The CO2 laser cutting machine generally drives the laser tube to emit light by laser power. The light is transmitted to the laser head through the refraction of several mirrors, and concentrated into a point by the focusing mirror mounted on the laser head. The processing material is thus sublimated into a gas for the point with a very high temperature, which is sucked away by the suction fan, thus achieving the purpose of cutting.

A fiber laser cutting machine is a laser cutter that takes a fiber laser generator as a light source. Fiber laser is a new type of fiber laser that is newly developed in the world. It outputs a high-energy-density laser beam and accumulates on the surface of the workpiece, so that the area of the workpiece is illuminated and instantly melted and vaporized by the ultra-fine focus spot. Automatic cutting is realized through moving the spot illumination position through a numerical control mechanical system, which is high speed and high precision.

Applicable industry

There are mainly two conditions which is suitable for CO2 laser cutting machines. On the one hand, this is the special parts that require uniform cutting including stainless steel with a thickness within 3mm and non-metallic materials with a thickness of within 20mm for service industries like advertising and decoration On the other hand, there is also a machining of a workpiece with a complicated cutting profile but a small amount. And which is used to save on the cost and cycle of manufacturing the mold.

Fiber laser cutting machine is widely used in sheet metal processing, aviation, aerospace, electronics, electrical appliances, subway parts, automobiles, grain machinery, textile machinery, engineering machinery, precision parts, ships, metallurgical equipment, elevators, household appliances, craft gifts, tool processing , decoration, advertising, metal processing, kitchen processing and other manufacturing and processing industries.

Comparison of advantages between fiber laser cutting machine and CO2 laser cutting machine

1.Contrast from the structure of the laser device

In co2 laser cutting technology, carbon dioxide gas is a medium that generates a laser beam. However, fiber lasers are transmitted through diodes and fiber optic cables. The fiber laser system generates a laser beam by pumping multiple diodes and then transmits it to the laser cutting head through a flexible fiber optic cable instead of through a mirror, which have many advantages. Firstly, it is the size of the cutting table. In the gas laser technology, the mirror must be set within a certain distance. There is no limit to the range for the fiber laser technology. And even the fiber laser can be installed next to the plasma cutting head of the plasma cutting bed. Co2 laser cutting technology does not have this option. Also, the system is more compact due to the ability of the fiber to bend when compared to a gas cutting system of the same power.

2.Contrast from the conversion efficiency of electro-optical light

The most important and significant advantage of fiber-cutting technology should be its energy efficiency. With fiber laser complete solid-state digital modules and a single design, fiber laser cutting systems have electro-optical conversion efficiencies higher than carbon dioxide laser cutting by virtue of the fiber laser cutters’complete solid-state digital modules and a single design. For each power unit of a carbon dioxide cutting system, the actual general utilization is about 8% to 10%. For fiber laser cutting systems, users can expect higher power efficiency, between 25% and 30%. In other words, the fiber-optic cutting system consumes about three to five times less energy than the carbon dioxide cutting system, resulting in an increase in energy efficiency of greater than 86%.

3.Compare from cutting effect

Fiber lasers have short-wavelength characteristics that increase the absorption of the beam by the cutting material and enable the cutting of materials such as brass and copper as well as non-conductive materials. A more concentrated beam produces a smaller focus and a deeper depth of focus, so that fiber lasers can quickly cut thinner materials and medium thickness materials more efficiently. When cutting materials up to 6mm thick, the cutting speed of a 1.5kW fiber laser cutting system is equivalent to the cutting speed of a 3kW CO2 laser cutting system. Since the operating cost of fiber cutting is lower than the cost of a conventional carbon dioxide cutting system, this can be understood as an increase in output and a decrease in commercial cost.

4.Contrast from maintenance costs

Fiber laser cutting is more environmentally friendly and convenient on machine maintenance issues. For example, CO2 laser systems require regular maintenance; mirrors require maintenance and calibration, and the resonators require regular maintenance. However, fiber laser cutting solutions require almost no maintenance. Co2 laser cutting systems require carbon dioxide as a laser gas. Therefore it should be cleaned regular due to the purity of carbon dioxide gas, the cavity is polluted. For a 1000W CO2 system, this item requires at least $20,000 per year. In addition, many carbon dioxide cuts require high-speed axial turbines to deliver laser gas, while turbines require maintenance and refurbishment.

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