The ultimate solution for cutting aluminum is a laser cutting machine, offering unmatched precision and efficiency. The laser cutting process is well known for its numerous advantages, including cut quality, excellent precision, and cost effectiveness across various industries. However, when it comes to laser cutters for cutting aluminum specifically, the versatility and ability of laser cutting allow it to tackle challenges that stand out against traditional cutting methods.
Cutting aluminum requires a cutting process that can handle both reflective material and varying material thicknesses, and a laser cutting machine does precisely that. A laser cutting machine can effortlessly fabricate thin aluminum sheets without sacrificing cut quality. In addition, the cut aluminum can be transformed and manufactured into any number of parts, products, or uses.
Table of Contents
What is Laser Cutting Aluminum?
What are the Difficulties with Cutting Aluminum?
Types of Laser Cutters for Cutting Aluminum
Fiber Laser Cutting Machines vs CO2 Laser Cutting Machines
How to Optimize Laser Parameters for Aluminum Cutting with Laser Cutter
Advantages of Laser Cutting Aluminum
Discover the Best Laser Cutting Aluminum Technology
Maser the Art of Laser Cutting Aluminum
From construction industry supplies to automobile parts to even artistic décor items, laser cutting aluminum can achieve any sort of metal fabrication required in a cost -effective and highly productive, and efficient cutting process.
However, how do the mechanics perform the aluminum laser cutting work, and how can your operations access a laser cutting machine for aluminum and other thinner or thicker materials? Read on to examine the details of laser cutting aluminum and how you can benefit from the many advantages of relying on a laser cutting machine to do the job.
What is Laser Cutting Aluminum?
Laser cutting aluminum is a manufacturing process that uses a high powered and distinctively focused laser beam to precisely cut aluminum sheets to specified patterns and shapes. Additionally, laser cutters are one of the most popular tools for cutting aluminum. Laser cutting aluminum is commonly found in aerospace, automotive, electronic, and architectural applications, among many other industries.
What Are the Difficulties with Cutting Aluminum?
When it comes to metal fabrication, cutting aluminum is known as one of the more difficult cutting processes simply because of the inherent properties of a thin aluminum sheet.
Aluminum is more delicate than other materials that may have a greater thickness. Therefore, its high reflectivity of aluminum can cause additional challenges for the cutting machine.
In addition, aluminum is a heat-conductive material, which means that it quickly absorbs the heat input from a laser beam or other cutting tool. This is required for cutting aluminum cleanly. Once heat dissipation occurs, the cutting process remains challenging, even when the top precision of a laser cutting machine is involved.
While laser cutting aluminum is one of the more challenging processes in metal fabrication, it’s certainly not impossible. This is why a laser cutting expert is often utilized to effectively cut aluminum without material waste or any pauses in productivity.
The best laser cutting aluminum resources and providers have exceptional laser cutting machines and experienced laser cutting technicians. They can easily fabricate a thin aluminum sheet regardless of the precise cutting parameters.
Types of Laser Cutters for Cutting Aluminum
Considering the inherent challenges of the aluminum surface, several computer numerical control (CNC) cutting machines that can handle aluminum cutting. Moreover, the most common laser cutters for aluminum cutting are fiber laser machines and CO2 laser machines.
Cutting Aluminum with a Fiber Laser Cutting Machine
A fiber laser cutting machine is a high-powered type of laser cutter that creates a laser beam from a source known as laser diodes. These laser diodes emit light that is pumped into a fiber optic cable, giving the fiber laser machine its name.
From there, optical components within the fiber optic cable generate a specified wavelength, shaping and releasing the ensuing laser beam onto the aluminum sheet. These fiber lasers are high- powered and highly accurate, and powerful laser beams. They can also be used for detailed cutting parameters and higher cutting speeds in the aluminum laser cutting process.
Cutting Aluminum with a CO2 Laser Cutting Machines
CO2 lasers are also a common tool in laser cutting processes. The CO2 lasers use a gas mixture of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and helium to create a high-powered laser beam directed at an aluminum sheet on a cutting table. Like other types of laser cutting machines, using a fiber laser or plasma machine, the laser power and heat of the laser beam vaporizes the material surface. This results in the precise laser cut, per the specified cutting parameters.
CO2 laser cutting machines have been around since the 1960s. However, the laser technology that drives this type of laser cutter has certainly grown over the past few decades for process optimization. Modern CO2 laser cutting machines work at higher cutting speeds, have better laser beam focus. They can also handle metals with varying material thickness far better than their CO2 laser cutter predecessors.
Fiber Laser Cutting Machines Versus CO2 Laser Cutting Machines – What Are the Differences?
When it comes to fiber laser cutting machines versus CO2 laser cutting machines, there are some key distinctions with specifically cutting aluminum. Aluminum is a highly reflective material that can cause unforeseen challenges with both fiber lasers and other types of laser cutters. However, fiber laser machines tend to be the better option to cut aluminum effectively.
The wavelength of a CO2 laser cutting machine means it is more susceptible to the issue of scattered light. However, with a fiber laser, more of the laser beam’s energy is absorbed by the material itself, meaning that less light is reflected. While the reflection of the laser beam back to the cutting head can cause potential issues, a modern fiber laser cutting machine has a cutting head that monitors these levels of reflected light and will stop the laser power as needed to avoid any significant damage.
As a result, fiber laser cutting machines tend to achieve a much higher cutting speed than their CO2 laser cutter counterparts. Additionally, they can handle thin aluminum sheets with higher electrical efficiency. This, in turn, often translates into a lower cost per cut aluminum part than other types of laser cutters, and specifically a CO2 laser cutting machine.
Unique Material Properties that May Impact Laser Cutting Aluminum
Every metal has properties that will dictate how the laser cutting process should be conducted, and aluminum is no exception. Here are some key material properties that will determine how to best cut aluminum with a laser cutting machine
- Reflectivity of the material – With cut aluminum, higher laser power is necessary for effective cutting at a high cutting speed due to its highly reflective nature.
- Melting Point – Aluminum tends to have a lower melting point than stainless steel or other kinds of metals. This melting point affects the speed at which the cutting head and laser beam moves across the aluminum sheets.
- Thermal Conductivity – Aluminum has a high thermal conductivity, meaning that heat dissipates quickly throughout the aluminum sheets during the laser cutting process. This high thermal conductivity can affect the quality of the laser cut edges without proper and careful operation.
- Material Thickness – The thickness of the aluminum sheets will also determine the appropriate focus position or focus point, as well as the nozzle size of the cutting head for optimal results at higher cutting speeds
- Additional factors – The properties of the aluminum sheets themselves will also dictate the best way to laser cut aluminum, specifically if the aluminum is made up of other alloying elements.
How to Optimize Laser Parameters for Aluminum Cutting with a Laser Cutter
When it comes to laser cut aluminum, several factors will come together to determine the precision and speed of the laser cutter’s ability to fabricate aluminum sheets. Therefore, optimizing these laser parameters within the laser cutter itself is essential for ensuring perfectly laser cut aluminum parts and products.
In simple terms, by adjusting and perfecting the laser power, laser speed, and laser focus spot size, you can enhance the overall efficiency of the laser cutting aluminum process.
Optimizing laser power
Identifying the perfect balance between laser power and cutting speed is essential to laser cut aluminum. Fiber laser machines usually range from 500W to 40,000W when it comes to laser power, and as a rule of thumb, laser power of 1000W is usually recommended for 1mm-thick aluminum sheets. For 2 mm thick aluminum sheets, starting with 1500W of laser power may be recommended for the initial test cuts.
Optimizing cutting speed
Higher power levels can achieve a higher cutting speed, but excessive power may lead to unwanted molten metal or warping of the aluminum surface. As such, slower cutting speeds may be required at first, depending on the laser machine and the expertise of the laser cutting technician. In general, and for aluminum around 1mm thick, a decent cutting speed may be around 1 to 2 meters per minute, depending on the project specifications, the laser machine, and the expertise of the technicians behind the scenes of the laser beams.
Optimizing focus spot size
The laser beams focus spot size and/or focus position can also affect precision, accuracy, as well as the heat affected zone. (A more minor heat affected zone means there is less risk of excess molten material or other warping issues.) Smaller focus spot sizes can result in more delicate cuts, but slower cutting speeds may be required in order to maintain continued accuracy.
Optimizing laser cutting with an assist gas
The majority of laser cutting machines require an assist gas, and the choice of assist gas type, and cutting gas pressure will dictate the efficiency and precision of the laser machine. An assist gas, like nitrogen or oxygen, helps to remove molten material during the laser cutting process, which ensures efficient performance and precision with less material waste. As for assist gas pressure, the gas pressure can range from 6 to 20 bar, depending on the material thickness and other cutting parameters. A higher assist gas pressure can help to remove molten material more effectively, but too high a pressure can hinder the cutting process.
Advantages of Laser Cutting Aluminum
There are several benefits to utilizing a laser cutting machine to cut aluminum, which includes the following key advantages.
- Precision – Laser cutting technology has unmatched levels of precision when it comes to laser cutting aluminum sheets. Unlike outdated and traditional cutting methods, laser cutting minimizes the heat-affected zones on the aluminum surface to ensure that the aluminum sheets maintain their structural integrity despite their eventual transformation into new parts or products.
- High cutting speeds – laser cutting aluminum is one of the fastest processes when it comes to varying methods to cut aluminum, and the high speed means that projects can be completed faster and more efficiently, again and again.
- Cost -effective – Since there is better precision and higher efficiency in speed, laser cutting aluminum is inherently a cost-effective way to cut aluminum, provided that an organization has the laser cutting resources to perform the job. Granted, purchasing the laser cutting equipment in -house – and hiring the expert technicians required to operate and maintain the laser cutting machines – can be an expensive venture for even the largest manufacturers, which is why many companies across various industries rely on a laser cutting aluminum specialist and resource to tackle these challenging projects.
Discover the Best Laser Cutting Aluminum Technology and Tools with Steelway Laser Cutting
If your business relies on aluminum parts and products for its operations but lacks the resource to purchase and maintain expensive laser cutting technology in-house, Steelway Laser Cutting can help.
We are experts at laser cutting aluminum. We have the facilities, technicians, and advanced laser cutting machines that can cut aluminum to exact specifications, regardless of the size, scope, and inherent detail of the project.
Reach out to us today to tell us about your laser cutting aluminum needs. Let’s start a conversation – and we can provide you with a quote – that will streamline your operations and improve your productivity across the board.
When it comes to laser cutting aluminum, there is an inherent learning curve and a suite of challenges that need to be overcome to achieve the best possible results. An expert like Steelway Laser Cutting can navigate these challenges with ease, providing your organization with a better, more cost-effective, and more precise way to cut aluminum for all projects that your company needs.