The difference between laser cutting and traditional processing methods

With the rapid development of sheet metal processing technology, the processing technology is also changing with each passing day. Bringing many revolutionary ideas to sheet metal processing. As a traditional sheet metal cutting device, there are: CNC cutting machine, punching machine. Flame cutting, plasma cutting, high pressure water cutting.
These devices have a considerable market share in the market, one is well known, and the other is cheap. Although they are quite inferior to modern processes such as laser cutting, they also have their own advantages.

1, CNC shears

CNC cutting machines are mainly  for straight cutting, although they can cut up to 4 meters of sheet metal. But they can only be used in sheet metal processing that only needs to cut straight. It is generally used in occupations where the board is flattened and cut, etc., which only requires straight cuts.

2, punch

Punch has more flexibility in curve processing. One punch can have one or more sets of square, round or other special requirements punches. It can process some special sheet metal workpieces at one time, the most common one is the chassis. In the cabinet occupation, the processing technology they require is mainly the cutting of straight lines. Square holes, round holes, etc. The picture is relatively simple and fixed.

They are mainly faced with carbon steel plates of 2mm or less, and the width is generally 2.5m × 1.25m. Stainless steel with a thickness of 1.5mm or more is generally not used because of the viscosity of the raw material. Its strength is that it has a fast processing speed for simple graphics and thin plates. The defect is that it has limited capacity when punching thick steel plates. Even if it can be punched, the appearance of the workpiece is collapsed.

The mold is required, the mold development cycle is long, the cost is high, and the degree of flexibility is not high enough. In foreign countries, more than 2mm steel plate cutting process generally uses more modern laser cutting, instead of punching, the thickness of a thick steel plate is not high when punching and shearing, and the second thick steel plate requires a larger tonnage punch, dross resources Three times the thick steel plate is too noisy, which is not conducive to environmental protection.

3, flame cutting

Flame cutting is the original traditional cutting method because its investment is low, and the processing quality is not high. When the demand is too high, a machining process can be processed, and the market is very large. It is now used primarily to cut thick steel plates that go beyond 40mm. Its drawback is that the thermal deformation is too large when cutting, the slit is too wide, the data is spoiled, and the processing speed is too slow, only suitable for roughing.

4, plasma incision

Plasma incision and precision plasma incision are similar to flame incision. The heat affected zone is too large, the precision is much larger than the flame cut, and the speed has an order of magnitude leap. It has become the main force in the middle plate processing. The actual cutting precision of the domestic top-grade CNC precision plasma cutting starter has reached the lower limit of laser cutting. When cutting 22mm carbon steel plate, it has reached a speed of more than 2 meters per minute, and the cutting end face is smooth and flat. The best slope can be controlled within 1.5 degrees. The defect is that the thermal deformation is too large when the steel sheet is cut, the slope is also large, and there is no power when the precision is high, and the consumables are expensive.

5, high pressure water incision

High-pressure water cutting is the use of high-speed water jet doped diamond to carry out the cutting of sheet metal. It has no restrictions on the raw materials, and the thickness of the cut can be as much as 100mm or more. It is simple for hot cutting of ceramics, glass, etc. The cracked raw material can also be cut, and the copper, aluminum and the like can be cut open to the laser high reflection data water knife, and the laser cutting has a large obstacle. The defect of water cutting is that the processing speed is too slow, too dirty, not environmentally friendly, and the consumables are also high.