Types of Sheet Metal Laser Cutting You Need to Know

Businesses dealing in laser cutting machines are blooming nowadays. The trend of sheet metal laser cutting is engulfing the market with their working methodologies. You get several options for new types of machinery available in the market to enhance the final results of cutting.

Specifying the laser cutting method types, these are the available choices varied by the industry requirements:

1. CO2 Sheet Metal Laser Cutting Machines
2. Fiber Laser Cutters
3. Direct Diode Laser or DDL

Let’s have an in-depth tour of all these methods to find out which one suits your standards and requirements.

1) CO2 Sheet Metal Laser Cutting Machines

This method is known as a traditional method. Many fabricators prefer to use this method, particularly for the +4mm sheet metal market. This type of method utilizes CO2 laser gas and electricity to create a laser beam. The fabricators then apply that onto the sheet metal. This method includes high-temperature operations which is one of the reasons behind the need for a higher capacity chiller unit.

However, due to the new introduction of new technologies in the sheet metal laser cutting and people are moving towards them. That brings me to the second type of laser cutting that is Fiber Laser Cutters.

Benefits:

Co2 Sheet metal laser cutting machines are widely used around the world and most of the fabricators are proficient using the same. Moreover, Co2 laser cutting machines are reliable and safe as they don’t come in direct contact with the materials causing next to no mechanical compression or stress.

2) Fiber Laser Cutters

Fiber laser cutters use optical fibers pumped with diodes to craft a solid-state laser cutting machines with no gas consumables. If you are working in this industry, then this type of cutters can produce precise results for you. When any fabricator is looking for a laser cutting machine, the main thing he is concerned about is efficiency. Fiber Precitec Laser Consumables provide speed, accuracy, and cost-saving results. One of the major things is that they contain a better focus capacity. Because of that, they can evaporate a material at pinpoint to make a smaller spot diameter, compared to CO2. This way you can make sure that the cut you produce is accurate and stable. This works well while you work with thin materials as well.

For instance, some of the Precitec laser consumables users use this technology to channel increased beam density and laser energy into the cut. With a shorter beam wavelength, you can produce a 90 percent shorter cut than a CO2 laser beam. It results in faster penetration of the material and the capacity to increase the operation by more than 30 percent.

They can also cut highly reflective machines such as brass, aluminum, copper. With a CO2 machine, there are chances of damage. Additionally, the fiber lasers are also well suited for other materials such as Hastelloy, Titanium, and Inconel.

Benefits:

According to a study, laser parts like LVD Strippit laser consumables provide manifold benefits. In terms of spending costs, fiber users can benefit from an 80 percent reduction in consumption of oscillator electrical power. And 100 percent reduction in laser gas consumption with a wall plug efficiency of 30 to 40 percent. They also reduce chiller unit electrical consumption to 80 percent.

In the fiber laser cutting, your maintenance costs would also gradually reduce because of lesser movements in its parts, lower consumption of heat, and longer diode life. It also reduces the sheet metal cutting machine maintenance because they do not contain bellows. Plus, there is no requirement for mirror alignment or replacement.

3) Direct Diode

The final method available for cutting sheet metal is a DDL technology. It is also known by the acronym DDL. In this method, the diodes are the key thing they use. Therefore, they eliminate the pumped fire system, used in fiber laser technology. Due to the elimination of the middle process, it makes it more efficient.

DDL is a reliable source method with enhanced beam quality. Machines such as Precitec laser consumables offer premium cutting performance which makes them ideal for users who need ultra-fast cutting and high-quality cutting results.

Benefits:

It enhances productivity by cutting thin material at a 20 percent faster rate. It is faster than fiber ones and it also works on thick materials with unsurpassed surface quality. The DDLs are capable of a wall plug efficiency level. That is of  40 to 50 percent more compared to 10% for a CO2 resonator. Also 15 to 20% for a disc resonator and 30-40% with a fiber resonator.

What is Your Choice?

The right choice of metal laser cutting is important to produce cutting-edge results which meet the requirements. Therefore, research, summarize your requirements, finalize the material and other aspects to choose the LVD Strippit laser consumables which are capable enough to produce fruitful results for your industry.

5 Tips to Safeguard Your Press Brake Without Sacrificing Productivity

Press brake is a machine tool for bending sheet material. These heavy machines can be risky to operators if used without appropriate safety. According to a study by the US Department of Labor report, every year more than 350 amputations were reported among press brake operators.

A major reason behind such injuries is the upgraded access of point of operation at front the of the machine. Plus, an operator’s ability to reach safely around the device to get to the operation point at a side of the machine. Moreover, the back-gauge system creates pinch points which creates a risk with the motion. If by any chance operator’s hand gets trapped between the material and frame, it might cause impalement or amputation.

Press brake operators can avoid such risky situations in just a few steps. Before digging brief into that part let’s have a closer look at some of the safety standards that every operator needs to know.

The Safety Standards

The industry follows the ANSI standard for press brakes. ANSI B11.2 is to safeguard method guidance. ANSI B11.19 for design criteria.  Looking at the history of these standards, the original B11.3 came as an approved standard in 1973. There was a revision in the policy in 2002. The current standard is B11.2 which was last updated in 2012. Amada machine replacement parts provide the highest possible safety standards for any press brake operator.

To make sure that you are well-equipped with all the safeguards, consider the below-given tips to practice safe sheet bending in your factory.

Use Awareness Barriers

It is human behavior to perceive red color as a warning sign/barrier. You can use signs like ‘danger’ or ‘warning’ at the back of press brakes in wide red letters. Because the backside of the press brakes cannot be wide open. There are possible risks lurking there. Reaching the die part from the back and a multi-axis back gauge moving with pinch points. If you wish to decide what can be put at the back of the equipment, it will depend on the local OSHA interpretation.

Barrier Guards to Rescue

Barrier guards can help you with the risk management of press brake. While looking for Amada machine replacement parts online, you must have come across the fact that barrier guard can be the most versatile part to provide a safety layer. You can use them at the ends of most press brakes. They are effective in mounting light curtains with added values as well. With barriers, you can have the openings for material to be fed into the die area. Although they do not allow hand-to-hand processing into that area.

Mount Light Curtains

Light curtains have been in the business since the mid-1950s. They contain a vertically mounted transmitter and receiver with spaced beams of the laser. It creates a flat sensing field. The key advantage is when human fingers, hands or a whole arm reach through that sensing field, the whole press system stops to avoid possible injuries. If you search the term ‘Amada machine replacement parts’ on the web, you will find many available options for light curtains.

One of the reasons that light curtains are a good fit for press brakes is that press breaks can be stopped during the mid-cycle quickly. With hydraulic press brakes, it is possible. On the other side, mechanical press brakes may not be able to deliver the same experience that swiftly. Mechanical friction clutch machines are also known for stopping slowly. Light curtain contains ‘function-tested’ operations. Before operating the press brakes enable these function tested curtains to ensure that they continue to provide enhanced protection.

Utilize Laser AOPD

This method is one of the newest entry into the safety category. It is included in the B11.2-2012 safety standards that now provides safety guidelines to manufacturers, dealers, and users to implement and practice these standards. This is an acceptable method of safeguarding hydraulic press brakes only per ANSI B11.3 with the collected manufacturers’ specifications. One of the most unique features of AOPD is that it can be mounted with zero safety distance, unlike curtains that should be mounted at a calculated safety distance. It is applicable only to hydraulic press brakes. You can find the same online. They are best suited for box bending, bending with flanges or where light curtains effectiveness is diminished due to excessive muting.

Are You Prepared?

If you are also a press brake operator, you might have an idea about how dangerous it can be while working with Press Brake machines. When your machine is safeguarded, installed and operated in a correct way, the safety of all the workers remains intact which eventually reduce your operation and insurance costs.