In the dynamic world of sheet metal fabrication, many companies across all manufacturing industries turn to laser cutting metal services.
Having access to exceptional metal laser cutting services for custom laser cut parts offers new heights of efficiency, speed, and cost-effectiveness, as well as the freedom to expand your designs and improve your products.
A metal laser cutting service provider can be a game-changing asset for companies of all sizes. However, the process starts with understanding what the laser cutting process entails and how a metal laser cutting service provider can enhance any manufacturing process.
If your organization could benefit from metal laser cutting, then read on to uncover how an expert resource like Steelway Laser Cutting can help you transform your operations when creating custom metal parts and products.
Table of Contents
The First Step: Start with a Design and a Plan
The Second Step: The Process of Laser Cutting
The Third Step: Time to Finalize
Outsourcing Laser Cutting Metal Services – The Benefits
How to Find the Best Laser Cutting Services Provider
Outsourcing Laser Cutting Metal Services – What the Process Entails
Most small and midsize companies simply do not have the resources or budget to enlist top-quality laser cutting machines, experts and technicians, and state-of-the-art facilities. This is where a laser cutting services provider steps in to conduct some of the legwork and heavy lifting when it comes to manufacturing operations.
The First Step: Start With a Design and a Plan
The laser cutting services process starts with a design for custom metal parts, which is usually submitted via an online laser cutting platform and/or a CAD file or other digital file.
It’s OK if you don’t have the resources to create a detailed CAD file for the specified laser cutting project. At Steelway, your laser cutting service provider can work with you to create the design and ensure that the ensuing sheet metal parts meet your requirements.
This is also a good time to ask questions. A top-rated and customer-focused laser cutting service provider like Steelway Laser Cutting can help you map out the specifics for your custom sheet metal parts (such as the best sheet material or metal materials to use for complex shapes), and they can even provide instant pricing estimated for your laser cutting project.
With the CAD files in hand, your laser cutting service provider may create a prototype of the custom parts to ensure that the laser cut parts match the design exactly.
Once the sheet metal and the specifications for the metal parts are available, the laser cutting process can begin.
The Second step: The Process of Laser Cutting, Laser Engraving, or Other Metal Fabrication
Crafting the design for intricate sheet metal parts is arguably the most difficult part of the process. Once approved, the efficiency and reliability of the laser cutting machine ensures that the creation of laser cut parts is easy and streamlined.
The top laser cutting machines conduct computer numerical control (CNC) laser cutting operations. This means that once the instructions are electronically fed to the laser cutting machine, the laser cutter can follow the instructions to the letter with computer numerical control. Furthermore, no human involvement is needed to direct the laser beam onto the sheet metal material.
When it is time for laser cutting or laser engraving, the heat of the high-powered laser is directed onto the sheet metal material. In addition, the laser beam effectively vaporizes the sheet metal, leaving behind the desired cuts or markings. An assist gas may be used to blow away any molten material that may result from the laser cutting process. The process repeatedly creates and laser cuts metal pars until completing the entire mass production run.
The Third Step: Time to Finalize (If Necessary)
Once your metal parts are complete, you may request a finishing process by your laser cutting service provider, such as adding a powder coating to make metal parts even more durable and aesthetically appealing. Otherwise, your metal parts will be ready to be shipped or picked up when complete. Therefore, you can rest assured that every metal part is perfectly crafted, thanks to the high precision of the laser beam. (All with a rapid turnaround time, regardless of any last extra steps.)
Outsourcing Laser Cutting Metal Services – The Benefits
There is a world of advantages when it comes to using a laser cutting metal service provider to create your metal parts (especially when compared to conducting these operations in -house).
A handful of these benefits include the following.
Cost-effective for various project sizes
A common misconception is that laser cutting services are expensive and will inherently increase the cost of manufacturing operations. However, this couldn’t be further than the case. In addition, a laser cutting service provider can save money in the long run.
For one thing, laser metal cutting is a very fast and efficient process. Once the laser cutting machine begins a production run, it keeps working until it’s finished. Moreover, since metal laser cutting is highly precise and efficient, it maximizes the raw material usage. As a result, it produces more sheet metal parts from the same material.
Simply put, there are fewer mistakes along the way, and more sheet metal parts can be created from every piece of sheet metal material. In addition, the process is also cost-effective because it saves companies from having to purchase laser cutters and hire laser cutting experts in-house.
A CNC laser cutting machine is an investment that requires regular maintenance, highly trained technicians, and advanced facilities for every laser cutting project to succeed. This is a substantial up-front cost for laser cutters and laser cutter technicians and a constant cost that needs to be maintained.
However, with a laser cutting service provider, you simply have to provide the design, and the laser cutting services provider will do all the heavy lifting.
More freedom when it comes to materials and design
When it comes to creating metal parts, outdated technology, and traditional cutting methods – or even older laser cutters – can have disadvantages. For one thing, not all cutting machines (or even laser cutters) can handle all materials or metals. Everything depends on the material thickness, the intricacy of the metal parts, and the cutting tolerances and cutting speed.
However, a laser cutting service provider with access to the most advanced laser cutting machines and methods (like plasma cutting, waterjet cutting, or fiber lasers) can cut thicker materials, non-metals like plastic materials, and virtually any complex geometrics that the design requires.
Professional handling and expertise in complex cuts
When it comes to thick materials like stainless steel or carbon steel or highly reflective materials like aluminum, a lot of expertise is required for precise laser cutting. Even if you have an advanced laser cutter in-house – like a fiber laser, a C02 laser, or even waterjet cutting machines – tackling thick materials, thin materials, and various designs isn’t easy.
With a laser cutting service provider, you have access to the best technology and the extensive knowledge required to complete every intricate project. This is true even when it comes to complex designs and cuts, or thin or thick materials.
Efficiency and turnaround Time
One of the best aspects of metal laser cutting services is the speed. A high- energy laser beam can operate at a rapid-fast cutting speed, which means that every project can be completed within a short and designated timeframe. (As an added cost-saving measure, there may even be free standard shipping available, depending on the laser cutting service provider.)
Remember that once the metal laser cutting process begins, it can be interrupted until an entire production run is complete. Regardless of your needs – whether metal cutting, metal bending, laser engraving, or intricate fabrication – laser cutting service providers excel in precision and efficiency. Furthermore, they complete the job quickly while maintaining the highest attention to detail.
Reliability and precision
One of the primary reasons manufacturers of all sizes rely on a metal laser cutting services provider is because of the steadfast reliability of all metal cutting projects, which will be completed to exact specifications.
Conducting laser meta cutting in-house often leads to mistakes. Therefore, using older or traditional cutting methods can cause minor deviations between laser cut parts.
However, laser cutting service providers ensure that every laser cut metal part is perfect and meets exact specifications, with no deviation from one laser cut metal part to the next. As a result, companies can be assured that no matter how complex their custom laser cutting service needs are, every laser cut metal part will be crafted perfectly.
Access to a constant resource to grow your business
Consider how you could grow, enhance, and expand your operations if you knew that any design you envisioned could come to vivid life. If you have an expert laser cutting service provider like Steelway Laser Cutting as a partner, this scenario comes to fruition.
A laser cutting services provider can cut thicker materials and effortlessly handle many materials. These include common metals like stainless steel or carbon steel. The extreme focus of the high energy laser beam can master any design.
Simply put, regardless of whether you need simple metal laser cutting services – like flat patterns or small holes and cuts – or want to create more complex shapes and designs regardless of material selection, a laser cutting service provider allows you to expand your horizons.
Advanced metal laser cutting service providers have access to the best laser cutting methods (like fiber laser or plasma laser cutting), as well as the on-tap expertise that makes any laser cut design possible.
How to Find the Best Laser Cutting Services Provider
The key is to partner with an expert in laser cutting services who has a long history of working with clients to make even the most challenging laser cutting projects cost effective and readily possible.
This is where Steelway Laser Cutting stands out among a crowd of online Laser cutting service providers.
We can give you a quote on a price instantly, work with many materials, and provide online laser cutting services that are simply unparalleled. Our team guarantees to accomplish all this while ensuring we work within your timeframe, budget, and laser cut metal specifications.
Want an example of what a top-rated laser cutting service provider can do? Check out just a couple of our recent projects at Steelway Laser Cutting.
These projects are just a small example of our versatility and capabilities, and we are always looking forward to the next metal laser cutting challenge.
Discover Expert Laser Metal Cutting Services with Steelway Laser Cutting
If you have been curious about enlisting laser cutting services for all your laser metal cutting needs or want to discuss how you can create more complicated and complex metal parts, Steelway is your resource.
We are standing by for a one-on-one consultation about your distinctive laser metal cutting needs, from small and simple stainless steel parts or products to intricate designs and large production runs requiring an expert hand.
The only way to know if your business will benefit from laser metal cutting services is to start a conversation and ask questions.
Online laser cutting service providers vary in quality and expertise. Steelway Laser Cutting stands out for our client-focused service, top-of-the-line laser cutting technology, highly trained team, and decades of experience.
Discover how your organization can be more efficient, cost-effective, and miles more creative and productive when you have an expert laser cutting services provider, near Philadelphia, like Steelway Laser Cutting guiding the way.
Request your quote for your next project today!