Views: 11 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2020-03-31 Origin: Site
Buying industrial laser cutting machines can be a very important investment for manufacturers. This is not just the initial price you pay, but the fact that the purchase will have a huge impact on the entire manufacturing process. If you choose the wrong device, you have to endure a considerable period of adverse effects.
Do you know the best way to buy a laser cutting machine? What changes in your production after buying laser cutting and after that? This article will help you buy the right laser cutting machine.
The following points are the listing factors that could affect buying laser cutting machine:
The applications of the laser cutting machine
Choose CO2 or fiber technology
The consideration of material handling
Traditional turret punches can economically cut holes and shapes, but, again, they require tools. The production speed of the punch cannot keep up with the laser cutting machine. As with the press, some forming can be done on the press.
High-definition plasma systems are suitable for applications where thick materials and edge quality are not critical. Abrasive water jets are also suitable for applications where thick materials and metals cannot have heat affected zones, which is a problem with most thermal cutting methods. Plasma and water jet cutting systems are less expensive than laser cutting machines, but often do not match the laser cutting speed. Of course, plasma cutting and water jet systems can increase productivity with multiple heads and the ability to cut stacked blanks; the application will obviously affect your needs.
There are currently two types of lasers that dominate the laser cutting machine market: traditional CO2 gas lasers and new solid-state fiber lasers. These lasers are powered by a gas-filled resonator (including CO2) and use a mirror to focus and transmit the beam. In fiber laser laser cutting machine , diode groups are used to generate laser light, which are channeled and amplified through fiber optic cables, similar to the method used in the telecommunications industry.
The fiber laser cutting machine debuted around 2008. Compared with CO2 laser cutting machine , it has lower running cost and higher cutting speed. Earlier fiber technology could only cut at higher speeds on thinner materials, but with the advent of more powerful lasers, fiber lasers have shown strong cutting speeds even in the 0.5-inch range. Thick material. As a result, fiber lasers are often a popular choice, despite their higher price.
In addition, fiber optic technology may provide new opportunities for manufacturers. These machines can cut reflective materials such as brass and copper, while CO2 laser cutting machine are difficult to cut.
Some applications are still more suitable for CO2 laser cutting machines, such as those that require good edge quality on thicker or special materials. In addition, some manufacturers may be satisfied with the CO2 technology because they have been using it for several years and the company has internal maintenance experts.
After the end of the warranty period, remember that you must make a decision about the ongoing maintenance. Are you willing to rely mainly on OEMs to provide services, or are you self-sufficient, or rely on third parties for maintenance? Unlike traditional CO2 resonators, fiber laser cutting machine use fewer moving parts or mirrors when generating lasers, so It also requires less maintenance during its lifetime.
Selecting a certain level of automated material handling equipment is also an important consideration. This is especially important today, mainly because fiber laser cutting machine technology cuts much faster.
That is why it is necessary to understand how to use this new laser cutting machine capability. Are you planning to turn on the laser cutting machine for only a few hours a day or multiple shifts? Based on the typical time of processing a piece of material, can your operator keep up with the speed of manual laser loading and unloading, even if it has a second shuttle watch? How important is minimizing labor costs in production for profitability and competitiveness?
Sometimes metal manufacturers choose not to purchase material handling automation immediately. If you choose this route, ensuring a pallet system and even an automatic storage and retrieval tower can easily be added in the future.
In many cases, manufacturers are already using software packages that everyone is used to. Can the software work effectively with the new laser cutting machine, or will you better buy OEM software? If it is the latter, what new features does the new software have?
As more and more people in the manufacturing industry start talking about the increasing interconnectivity between machines and software systems, you need to ask yourself if this new software can run other machines already installed on the shop floor. In addition, how to integrate the laser into the company's network is worth discussing. Laser cutting speed is not the only thing growing at an incredible rate; collecting relevant manufacturing information in a blink of an eye can bring more timely and effective decisions to manufacturers.
So after reading this article, do you know how to choose the right laser cutting machine now?
