The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Laser Cutting In Metal Fabrication Processes

Are you looking for a way to manufacture metal products, and are interested in using laser cutting to do it, but are not sure if it is the right method for your requirements? Then take the time to learn the advantages and disadvantages of laser cutting in order to make an informed decision.

Advantages Of Laser Cutting

For reasons why you should opt for laser cutting when manufacturing metal products, read on:

• Accuracy: with the help of computer aided programs lasers can cut metal at high volume without sacrificing on the precision. If you require products to be dimensionally accurate within a millimeter then laser cutting can meet those demands.
• Fast: if you need many units of metal product cut per day, then speed will be of the essence. Fortunately, laser cutting is one of the fastest ways of cutting metal. This is also true because laser cutting equipment can work continuously without requiring calibration or any other need for maintenance.
• Thick metal cuts: when blades cut metal they might get dulled significantly if the metal is relatively thick. Whereas, a laser cutting machine will not and therefore you have the freedom to cut metal of a wide variety of thickness levels.
• Multiple cuts at once: when laser cutting machines are coupled with computer aided programs, they can perform a variety of cuts without requiring any intervention. On the other hand, if a saw was used then you'd have to recalibrate the machine in order to perform a different cut, or simply install more machines for the additional cuts that need to be made. This will cost more and take up more floor space.

Disadvantages Of Laser Cutting

To get a balanced view of laser cutting for metal fabrication applications you'll also need to consider the disadvantages, and they are as follows:

• High power consumption: your energy bills will be relatively high when opting for laser cutting. However, if the speed and accuracy of production increases your profits then this extra cost is easily justified.
• Burning: if a laser is not maintained properly then whilst cutting burning could occur. However, there are technologies in place to minimize the frequency of this occurring.
• Issues with cutting reflective metals: laser cutters are not able to effectively cut brass and copper because of their reflective properties. Some laser cutting models might not even be able to cut aluminum, which means for those specific metals you'll have to seek out other solutions.

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