What Are Laser Cutting Machines and Why We Use Them

Laser cutting machines are widely accepted by the manufacturing industry because they simplify the cutting processes that earlier took longer time. Also the risk involved was high as all the processes were manually. With CNC laser machines all these problems were solved. They are faster and deliver more efficient results.

The investment of laser machines can be reimbursed in a short period of time as your business’s productivity will increase. If you are an entrepreneur looking to invest in a laser machine, read this article to know how a laser cutting machine works and why you should use it.

What is Laser Cutting?

The manufacturing industries have now started using CNC machines to speed up the production process. This machine also helps with laser cutting. So the CNC machine gives commands to the laser machine to make the cut. The 2D vector files are used to guide the laser.

The laser beam is created in a closed container by stimulation of lasing materials through electric discharge. The amplification of the laser beam is done by reflecting the beam through partial mirrors. This process is continued till the required energy levels are achieved and it forms a monochromatic light. 

The laser beam is guided to material by CNC signals. The intensity of the light beam increases after it enters the fiber optics and gets reflected by multiple lenses. Melting and vaporizing of the material takes place after the laser beam is focused on the cutting sheet. To acquire clean edges of cuts, the air compressor is used to blow away the rest.

Benefits of Using a Laser Cutting Machine

Here are some benefits to convince you why you must invest in a laser cutting machine.

• Highly Precise and Accurate

The laser cutting machines have high precision as it delivers a focused light beam. The laser is powerful and has a small diameter. However, the accuracy of melting the cutting sheet is high. The tolerance level of the laser cutting machines are high and so it's an ideal choice for the aerospace industry.

• Affordable

With CNC machines in the laser cutting machine, you do need to add multiple tools for different types of cuts. There is no modification required in the machine for different cuts. Also, the surface lasts longer as there is no physical contact of the laser with the surface. The cost of maintenance is less as compared to other cutting methods. You only need to change consumables at regular intervals. To always receive the best quality cuts you must always buy good quality trumpf laser consumables or amada laser consumables from authorized suppliers.

• Best Fit for Complex Jobs

There are certain jobs that are too complex for the cutting machine. But the laser cutting machines can work on even thinnest edges of any material. To save your cutting sheet from  any type of distortion, CNC laser machines can apply complex geometries to get the best cut. Also, the laser cutters have a broad tolerance level and are useful for a large number of materials.

• Less Wastage

A laser cutter produces a tiny amount of waste. This means that the utilization of the sheet is maximum. Thus, the production cost reduces as you get the most out of the metal sheet and you would have less waste material.

• Less Damage

The laser cutting machine ensures prevention of warping of cutting sheets. Some people believe that as the laser beam produces heat, it affects the other parts of the sheet. But the truth is that heat affects only the small area on the material and it does not affect the tolerance. The speed of the laser machines is high, avoiding any kind of distortion and warping of the cutting sheet.

• Low Power Consumption

Cutting processes usually consume a lot of power. However, the laser cutting machine does not have moving parts and so it reduces energy consumption. Also, the machine is fast and so it completes the task fast. So reduction in energy consumption means reduction in operation cost.

• Highly Compatible

You can get the most out of the laser cutting machines because they are compatible with a wide range of materials. Additionally, they are also useful in processes like marking, engraving, and drilling. It supports not only metals but also wood, plastic and some non-metals.

Conclusion

The laser cutting machines have amazing advantages that can help your business. Maintaining the machine helps in receiving good quality cuts. You should carefully clean the laser machine and ensure that the consumables are replaced regularly. You can find suppliers that sell good quality trumpf parts, amada parts, etc. online. A good quality spare parts lasts longer and helps in maintaining the quality of cut.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/what-are-laser-cutting-machines-and-why-we-use-them

3 Types of Laser Cutting Machine

Laser cutting has been in the market since decades now and has been updated a lot in these years. The lasers use a constant beam of light to create the heat and pressure to cut, mark, drill, or engrave the material. With the CNC machines, all the processes are stable and precise.

There are different types of laser machines that have different ways to concentrate the light beam and different materials that can be used with it. They are CO2 Lasers, Fiber Lasers, and Crystal Lasers. 

The manufacturers suggest regular maintenance of these machines and usage of good quality spare parts. Thus, it is recommended to use trumpf laser consumables, amada laser consumables, etc. for quality parts.

To know more about different types of lasers, keep reading.

CO2 Laser

A CO2 laser uses a gas mixture of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, and helium to produce a light beam. The gas mixture is filled in a tube that contains mirrors on each ends. One of the mirrors in the tube is fully reflective and the other is partially reflective allowing some light to pass. The invisible light produced comes under the infrared range of the light spectrum.

Usually the CO2 lasers are 25 to 100 watt in power and the wavelength is 10.6 micrometers. To enhance the power of the CO2 beam, oxygen content can be boosted. This can be risky if the machine is not suitable for such enhancements and the operator is new to this technique. The CO2 lasers are the best for non-metallic materials. This laser is commonly used for cutting or engraving wood, paper, leather, fabric, and acrylic plastics.

The other important task to do is to maintain the laser machine. The regular maintenance helps in receiving the precise cuts. The regular change of consumables is the solution. You can easily find good quality trumpf laser consumables, amada laser consumables, etc.

Fiber Laser

The fiber laser amplifies the light beam with the specially designed fibers which are derived from pump diodes. The wavelength is 1.064 micrometers which produces small focal diameters. The fiber lasers are expensive but the maintenance cost is extremely less. 

Also, they have a long service life of 25,000 laser hours. Thus, the life of fiber lasers is far more compared to the other two types. To ensure that the laser has a long shelf life, it is important to maintain it properly. For that, you can regularly check and change the spare parts. You can use good quality trumpf laser spare parts, prima laser parts, amada spare parts, etc.

Fibers are suitable for metal marking and engraving. It is also suitable for non-metals and alloys and even glass, wood and plastic. With variable power, these lasers can deal with a variety of materials.

Crystal Laser

Crystal laser uses nd:YAG (neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet) or nd:YVO (neodymium doped yttrium orthovanadate) crystals. The wavelength of the laser is 1.064 micrometers and are useful for medical, dentistry, military and manufacturing. 

The nd:YVO has:

• higher pump absorption
• a broader bandwidth and wavelength for pumping
• shorter lifetime
• higher refractive index
• lower conductivity

The nd:YAG has similar performance but the only difference is that it does not allow high pulse energy as that of nd:YVO. These lasers are useful for both coated and non-coated metals. It can also be used for plastics and ceramics.

Conclusion

All these lasers have their own way of functioning and are suitable for different types of materials. To always receive the same good quality results, it is necessary to have a maintenance schedule. You can make schedules on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. The parts that require replacement must be replaced with the parts from renowned companies. For example, trumpf laser spare parts , amada laser spare parts, etc.  

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/3-types-of-laser-cutting-machine

All You Need to Know About Laser Cleaning

Laser dust removal is an important process of removing dust from a surface. It is also referred to as laser ablation. Laser ablation is basically the process of removing material from a solid surface simply by irradiating it with a laser beam. You can remove any type of dust with this method, like plastic, metallic, and organic dust. In this process, the laser beam irradiates the surface by which burnt off dust gets vaporized and extracted by using a proper dust extraction nozzle.

Here you also need to know that dust is not the only element that needs to be removed from a laser surface. There are various thin oxide layers and debris present on the surface which might be created after a few days of storing a part in intensely different environments. 

However, the laser cleaning system removes all types of unwanted elements like stainless steel oxide, powder coating, rust, aluminum oxide, etc., from the surface. There are several laser cleaning solutions available like rotary tables, on-the-fly cleaning machines, handheld lasers, robot arms, etc. Also, consider replacing parts with quality trumpf laser parts when required. And for emergencies save trumpf spare parts for each laser part. After knowing the basics about dust removal methods from the laser surface, let us take a deep dive into dust removal applications, more methods useful for removing dust, tips for the same, etc. 

Common Dust Removal Applications

Laser dust removal is popularly useful to ensure that laser surfaces are perfectly clean before any process like power coating, welding, adhesive bonding, etc. takes place from it. For different results, requirements, applications, one needs to adjust the cycle of the laser cleaning process. 

For instance, some manufacturers may require a textured surface for improving adhesion before coating. So how can they adjust the laser cleaning process? They can modify the roughness of the surface while cleaning it. This process is known as laser texturing. 

Especially for welding applications, the laser usually does not smoothen the roughness. Instead it leaves the metal surface unharmed to make sure that the integrity of the part is preserved after welding. 

Methods for Removing the Dust 

Here we will talk about traditional methods of cleaning. This includes manual surface cleaning, ultrasonic baths, and burn-off ovens to clean the dust from the laser surface. 

1. Manual Surface Cleaning

In this method, you need to clean the laser parts with a clean cloth dipped in an adequate amount of cleaning solutions such as acetone. This method provides required results if you skip on mistakes like using dirty clothes, lacking precision, touching the cleaned surface without wearing sterile gloves, and forgetting to clean specific parts.

2. Ultrasonic Baths

Ultrasonic baths include alcohol or acetone. These baths emit ultrasonic waves. This wave then travels through the liquid in order to dislodge dust. This is an effective method, but you need professionals to handle it. Additionally, it is also a long and time consuming process.

3. Burn Off Ovens

Burn off ovens helps in getting rid of organic residues by decomposing them in the form of gases and vapors. These ovens remove powder coating, dust, and other residues. Burn off ovens are high in cost and are expensive to run. But these ovens make laser cleaning much more manageable. 

Tips for Laser Dust Removal

As we know, a perfect process of dust removal is not only about cleaning the laser surface and removing dust. It is a process where you need to be careful about how you are cleaning the surface as it will eventually affect the quality of the laser parts and its surfaces. Thus, you should consider some important tips while cleaning the laser surface: 

• Once you have cleaned the laser parts with all the precautions, handle them with care and avoid touching them with bare hands. Always have gloves on your hands, otherwise, it will hamper the performance of the laser.

• Do not forget to perform the post-process treatments. Doing this right after cleaning the parts will help prevent dust and oxidation.
• Use an efficient dust extractor having a proper airflow for the cleaning purpose otherwise, you will end up having dust collections on the surface.
• Do not forget to clean the surface regularly after certain required intervals.
• Cover the unused areas of the surfaces.
• Make sure you are replacing your laser parts with quality parts like trumpf laser parts, trumpf spare parts, hypertherm parts, etc. when required  

There are numerous benefits of laser dust removal, like offering speed, automation, accuracy, and consistency. Without any of this, your final output would not come as desired. Thus, the cleaning process is important to make sure that the quality of your output is not hampered but enhanced. Additionally, cleaning laser parts with laser surfaces can help you to increase the longevity of the laser machine. It will directly affect how precise and clean the output would be. Thus, make sure you follow the given tips and clean your laser surfaces regularly.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/all-you-need-to-know-about-laser-cleaning

5 Uses of Laser Cut Parts

Laser cutting is trusted for its accurate cutting by many industries over the past few years. Laser cutting can:

• Cut or engrave precise lines through a thin plate of steel
• Mark different materials with varying degrees of thickness And everything in between.

You can use laser cutting on a variety of materials by advancement in technology. Using good quality laser cut parts like Trumpf laser parts can increase the longevity of the final product.

Several industries like:

• Construction
• Industrial fabrication/manufacturing
• Military and Defense
• Recreational Vehicles
• OEM
• Agricultural
• Furniture
• Communications/telecom
• Alternative Energy uses the Laser cutting method

Apart from these industries and cutting metal bodies, there are many other uses of laser cut parts to like:

1. In Jewelry Making

How come jewelry? Well, think of those small gears in a wristwatch or those tiny headphone gears. This precision of laser cutting lends itself to the jewelry-making process. With the impeccable accuracy of the laser cutting process, you can make gears with less waste and less production time.

While talking about uses in the jewelry industry, we should not forget about the engraving capabilities of laser cuts. It can engrave designs and inscriptions onto the interior or exterior surface of the piece. Lasers can cut precise shapes and give desired thickness. And all this makes it reliable to use in the jewelry-making process.

Creating a ring or an anklet of an exact width, depth, and diameter becomes easy with a laser. You can use laser cutting to engrave designs and inscriptions onto the interior or exterior surface of the piece.

2. In Medical Device Manufacturing

One of the most significant uses includes using it for laser surgery in the medical industry. This helps surgeons to make more precise cuts and patients heal much faster after laser surgery. Use Laser cut parts to create medical devices and improve the quality and reliance of the surgery.

Made by using laser cut parts includes Stents, vascular clips, flexible shafts, valve framers, injection molds, etc.

3. In Automotive Manufacturing

The automotive industry is always in a need of exact replicas of a part of different shapes and sizes. Applying cutting methods can reproduce those parts quickly and precisely.

The automotive industry uses cutting to cut down metals and plastics to form body pieces of vehicles, electronic components, interior covers, etc.

Laser cutting processes can cut hydro-formed parts too. These are usually strong tubes that provide support within the structure of the vehicles. Here, the quality ensures trust, thus opting for Trumpf consumables is one of the best choices for the automotive industry.

4. For Dye and Tools Manufacturing

With the laser’s ability to cut a variety of depths into the metal, an accurate dye gets ready or stamping pieces. This will last through the repetitive process of dye-cutting. To increase the longevity of dyes, use Trumpf laser parts in the cutting process.

Within the tool manufacturing industry, cutters can be used for:

• Marking and engraving
• Manufacturing of simple hand tools
• Engraving company logo and tool information onto the rubberized handles of most tools.

The speed of cutters might even make it better than die-cutting on sturdy metals.

5. For Silicon and Ceramic Manufacturing

The laser cutting method allows accurate cutting to produce smaller silicone parts. These can be further used in computers and electronics, textiles, architecture, automobiles, etc.

Lasers cut ceramics in order to reduce processing time without compromising edge quality.

Examples: Airplane jet engines, electric motors, headphones, power plant generators, electric cooktops, etc. Here, using Trumpf laser consumables proves to be reliable.

Laser cutting is one of the most versatile methods used by different industries all over the world. The advancement of technology brought new upgrades to this method. And due to this, the use of cut parts is increasing every day to sharpen or smoothen your manufacturing needs. If you have a cutter for manufacturing, or if you are thinking about investing in one, knowing its current uses might clear your head.

Original Blog : https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/5-uses-of-laser-cut-parts

Your Detailed Guide to Laser Marking

Laser marking, engraving, and cutting are present in almost all industries. They are widely known for the advanced features, advantages, and ease it brings to fabricators. There is not a single industry that is untouched by laser machines. 

As you know, it is useful in various industries, but it has become an integral part of the medical, aviation, and military industries. These are the places in which safety and security are some of the major factors. 

More manufacturers put permanent identification labels on their components, so it is easier to identify and trace them.

Almost every industry is using laser technology to add barcode and unique identification numbers to various parts. One of the major factors they are useful is because laser marking provides non-contact, abrasion resistance, and permanent marks to any type of material.

But you need to understand the fact that not all types of laser marking technology are good for your business. If you are looking for an efficient laser technology that can create permanent, fast, and high contrast marks for identification and traceability then fiber laser machines are your go-to solution.

The versatility, minimal maintenance, and zero requirements are some of the things that a fiber laser machine brings with itself. Because of these things they are the ideal solution for marking various types of materials.

Since laser marking is required in every industry, it has become an inevitable part of fabricators. You might be thinking what is it?

Don’t worry!

Here, we will talk about the basics of fiber laser marking and the different ways it is useful.

What is Laser Marking?

It is an ink-free technology useful to add characters and graphics to various parts of products.

If you are an owner of the company who manufactures specific parts for finished products, then you know the importance of marking. You might be marking them with different marks like bar codes, serial numbers or with your logo.

This process does not involve the use of physical tools to etch the surface. In fact, it just uses a beam of laser light to create characters. 

It uses Precitec spare parts and Trumpf laser consumables, a focused beam from a laser interacts with a qualified material like steel, aluminum, ceramic, etc. to produce a permanent, solvent resistant, and scratch-proof mark. Some machines are capable of marking plastic materials as well. 

 How does Laser Marking Work?

In simple terms, it is a process of burning paper using a magnifying glass.

You need to place the lens over the paper at the focal point of the lens and concentrate the rays to a central point on the paper. The convergent beam lands on a small spot on the paper that result in heat that smokes the paper.

The same principle applies to fiber laser marking having Precitec spare parts and Trumpf laser consumables. Here, instead of sunlight, it uses laser light. It steers through an F theta lens which is a powerful and sophisticated lens compared to the magnifying glass.

An F theta lens has an advantage in that it maintains its focus throughout the surface rather than on one spot.

Once the laser light focuses on the surface of the component which needs marking, it passes through F theta lens and controls electronically via a computerized program.

This leaves a mark on the surface if there is a good match between the wavelength and material. The mark can take a form of text, graphical image, or any other form.

Now comes the main question, most fabricators ask i.e. 

Why use fiber laser marking machines?

It has multiple advantages over other types of laser marking technologies. The minimal maintenance requirements and the decrease in the use of any consumables, fiber lasers are cheaper and simple to use than other forms.

In terms of space requirements, fiber laser marking systems have small footprints; this means you can operate them anywhere without worrying about space. Plus with Precitec spare parts and Trumpf laser consumables, it brings efficiency to your production.

Talking about the quality of laser beam even experts agree that fiber laser beam is better than most of the other types of laser marking machines.

Final words: 

If you are someone who was confused about whether they should start laser marking or not then I think this article must have cleared your doubts. It is something that helps you to make your product stand out from the competition.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/2020/07/24/Your-Detailed-Guide-to-Laser-Marking

All You Need to Know About Laser Tube Cutting

If you want a sharp, precise in shape, and clear metal sheet, the most versatile solution is Laser Cutting. You can cut the sheet in a fraction of seconds. But when it comes to laser cutting, it's a whole different process. Let's see how it's done.

When it comes to laser tube cutting, Trumpf laser consumables are renowned products in the market. In laser cutting, there are no standard material towers. Using the most efficient material handling options, Bundle Loaders, they feed a single tube at a given time from the bundle in the laser. But such a mechanism does not work with open profiles such as angles or channels as they interlock and don't come off easily. So, use step loaders in case of open profiles which will put sections into the order one at a time into the machine. Also, make sure the orientation of that section is correct.

Because of its nature, there is no requirement for machines with high-powered lasers. A normal flat sheet laser cutting machine is available with laser generators as powerful as 12 kW. Whereas tube laser cutting machines usually require only 5kW of power. With the product, you have to be a little careful of the opposite side of the tube you are cutting.

Another thing to take care of is the weld seam. The seam where it's rolled and welded material.

Here are the two points which need a fabricator's immediate attention:

When the laser cutting process is going on, the position of the product's weld seam has to be into the account. The weld seam mustn't face the pins or holes. For aesthetic applications, such as furniture, you should hide weld seams as much as possible. When we consider a conventional laser cutting system, there is an optical sensor to scan the product to look for the weld seam. Most of the times rust or oil covers the tubing which makes it difficult to differentiate between weld seam and the other surfaces. With the stainless or galvanized tubes, the weld seam may only be visible internally. Due to this, some manufacturers had to include cameras in the system which allow the machines to scan the product externally as well as internally. This way, the machine can detect the obscured weld seam and correct the position of Amada parts accordingly.

The weld seam is of different compositions & cut differently than the rest of the tube. Back in the time, operators had to slow down all operations which took place on a tube to account for the weld seam. In the present time, some OEMs have developed the technology and parameters to allow the machine to single out a weld seam and adjust only those sections. This way, the machine would process the Amada parts in the fastest way.

The Finishing Details

It is important to note that there is no such thing as a perfect finish. The available weld seams can extend not only in the exterior part but also in the interior. Overall, it's a challenge to treat the tube consistently and swiftly when such inconsistencies exist from one production run to another. These products are tricky things. Imagine having a put a through-hole centered on a tube. It is important to make it centered according to the actual dimension. But if it's bowed, it would make things difficult. And that's how it goes for tube fabrication.

The decision makers or purchasing department doesn't understand the consequences of buying inexpensive parts. So, it's entirely possible that the quality of the tubing is different from the previous week. To manage this, the fabricator needs to learn how to manage the variety. Also, the decision makers must know the consequences which will encourage them to invest in quality parts like Amada parts, Trumpf laser consumables.

Source: http://www.tiny.cc/all-you-need-know-about-l

How to Find The Perfect Material For Your Laser Project

It is important to consider the material for your metal project. At the time of execution, there are various things to examine like weight, aesthetic, finish, exposure to the elements and even the usage. It doesn't matter what the purpose of the project is, whether you want to hang the product outside of your house or workplace or an art piece you want to shape and hang on the wall. It is important to make a wise choice in the selection of material as well as the laser parts. Like Trumpf Laser Consumables or Mitsubishi Laser Parts are the best among the available laser parts in the market.

But before choosing the laser parts, you will have to decide on the metal for your project.

To help you make an informed decision, here's a guide to common metals you can use in laser cutting projects:

Stainless Steel:

The idea behind the creation of this metal was to create metal with corrosion resistance. And after adding chromium, you as manufacture can create a metal which encompasses the best quality. It is non-corrodible, beautiful, and strong as a metal. Here are the major benefits of using steel in your laser project:

Benefits of Steel:

• Strong and big
• Great for outdoor use
• Washable and sanitizable
• Welds easily
• Cost Effective
• Perfect decorative, durable parts

Brass

Brass is a copper-zinc alloy which comes with many uses apart from being used in the loudest section of an orchestra. Because of its gold looks, its aesthetic qualities come in use of many things like jewelry and wall art. As an added benefit it's low friction point, makes it perfect for all the types of functional uses such as locks, door fixtures, and ammunition.

Benefits of Brass:

• Lightweight
• Malleable
• Great for Outdoor Use (with a protective top layer)
• Low Friction point
• No additional process needed

Aluminum:

One of the major benefits of this metal is that even if it's in the purest form, it is very light in weight, yet strong. Plus, it is easy as you can make any shape out of it without losing its strength. And it's reactive and forms a natural corrosion resistance when exposed outdoors.

When you use it for commercial use, it is important to mix it with a few other metals. There are various industries including aerospace which rely heavily on aluminum.

Benefits of Aluminum:

• Suitable for Prototypes
• Lightweight
• Perfect for outdoor use.
• Easily shaped, brushed

Copper:

It is easy to excavate this directly from the earth. And you can also use it in its purest form. Around 8000BC, it was the first metal used by humankind. This metal comes with various advantages. It is conductive, as a result of that, it is great for pieces like bus cars and other electrical parts. It is perfect for plumbing and pipe as it is non-corrosive.

Benefits of Copper:

• Great for outdoor use but it will patina after a while
• Suitable for electrical parts
• Malleable
• No additional process required

Carbon Steel

It's an alloy made of iron and carbon. Its ductile strength makes it a go-to metal when it comes to construction of buildings, bridges, and machinery. For Trumpf laser consumables you would have a couple of options to choose from. For example, hot or cold rolled steel.

Hot Rolled Steel

Elaborating that in detail, hot rolled steel is formed when you roll steel at very high temperature. It makes steel easier to form, which makes the product easy to work with. The finished steel would have a thin layer of magnetite known as "scale". It can be reduced with a pickling and oiling finish which would leave the surface of the steel nice and smooth.

Carbon Steel Benefits:

• Creates indestructible parts.
• Welds easily
• Easy to thread, machine, drill, etc.
• Suitable for cutting thick pieces.
• Looks great painted, powder coated, or clear coated

Mild Steel

The process of making Mild Steel is a bit complicated. They roll up the steel hot, then roll it up more after it cools down at room temperature. This process allows the metal to take shapes of a thinner sheet. In comparison with hot rolled steel, it does not require further processing for a smooth, finished surface.

Benefits:

• Strong (especially in 11ga thickness).
• Welds easily
• Simple to thread, machine, drill.
• Easily Etched and cut

What have you considered for your next laser project? Do let us know in the comment section below. If you are looking to replace or change your parts, consider Trumpf laser consumables, or Mitsubishi laser parts for the quality results.

Source - http://tiny.cc/4j1j8y