The laser cutting strength is a crucial consideration when you choose for your laser work because the maximum laser power of a laser cutting machine will provide a high-quality and clear, elegant laser cutting result. You might be confused by different laser cutting machines with various wattages, such as 3kw laser cutter, 6kw laser cutter, or 12kw laser cutter.
Selecting a appropriate laser power must know some laser cutting bases. This article aims to provide a complete guide for you to select the right laser cutting power for your laser cutting business.
What Is Laser Cutting Power?
The power level directly controls the energy from the laser head to cut various materials. A laser cutting machine with high power means it can deal will create high-quality laser cutting results on thicker or harder material. And the energy created by the laser head will increase as the laser cut power increases.
To help you make a better understanding:
We made an examination, that used an 80w laser cutter and a 120w laser cutter to work on two acrylic plates that have the same thickness. The result is that the 120w laser cutter finishes the cutting work in 29 seconds, and the 80w laser cutter only finished 65% process.
High-energy creates high-speed that make laser cutting machine work more efficient.
When you have a high-power laser cutting machine, such as 6kw laser cutter, you might set any power level below 6kw. However, is it real that the power level higher, the quality of laser cutting results higher? Not really. Only focus on the power level will ignore other factors, such as speed, material that will also influence the final result.
An excellent laser cutting product needs not a high, but an appropriate power level. Professional operators find the balance between power, speed, and material. It seems like a very simple process, while find dealing with the relationship between power, speed, and the material will be very difficult without experience.
How To Balance Laser Power, Speed, And Material?
Laser power: As the laser head creates a beam with a thin conical shape, it is easy to focus the energy on one point to create a deeper cut. While if the energy is higher than the tolerance of laser cutting materials, there will create charred edges. Therefore, select the right power level to reach the required reach depth without creating charred edges is necessary for every laser cutting machine operator.
Laser cutting speed: The importance of the laser cutting speed is usually ignored. The slower the speed is, the more energy it acts on the part. While if the part is exposed to high energy, charred edges will occur. Besides, high laser cutting speed reduces time cost. Remember that fast laser cutting speed might reduce the exposure to energy that results in the laser beam doesn’t reach the required depth to cut materials.
Laser cutting material: Every laser cutting material has its own appropriate laser cutting power level. According to the power level, laser cutting machine manufacturers provide an accurate standard laser power for cut steel, and laser power to cut metal.
Laser Cutting Power Selection
There are some considerations for you to select the right laser cutting strength.
Material
Wanted to find the balance between power, speed, and material must need know the basic of laser cutting materials.
Laser power to cut acrylic:
As we all know, acrylic is a common laser cutting material that features versatile applications. In a common case, an 80-100w co2 laser cutter can satisfy the requirements for acrylic laser cutting material. Compared with a fiber laser cutter, the co2 laser has a better performance in non-metal laser cutting process. It can provide a smooth, elegant cut edge, and the power level between 80-100w is enough to cut any acrylic steel in common use.
Laser power to cut metal:
Professional laser cutting manufacturers using different power levels to cut different laser cutting metals, such as carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, or other steel alloys. More than 100w laser cutter is suitable for metal laser cutting because the high energy created by high power level will create a precise and high-speed laser cut process with satisfying laser cutting results. If you prepare to buy a laser cutting machine for thick metal laser cutting, then you need a higher power level fiber laser cutting machines, such as a 3kw laser cutter, or 6kw laser cutter. The high power level has enough energy to reach the required depth without a long time.
Thickness:
The selection of the power level is also related to the thickness of materials. On the same laser cutting material, the thicker one needs a higher power level to reach the required depth. Therefore, if you want to make a balance between power, speed, and materials, the thickness is also an important consideration you should notice.
Below is the CO2 max cutting thickness for your reference:
| 1000w | 2000w | 3000w | 4000w | 6000w | |
| Mild Steel | 10mm | 16mm | 20mm | 20mm | 25mm |
| Stainless Steel | 5mm | 8mm | 10mm | 12mm | 25mm |
| Aluminum | 4mm | 6mm | 8mm | 10mm | 15mm |
If you want to cut material with fast speed to increase production capacity, I’m afraid that you need to change to a fiber laser cutting machine or choose our convenient retrofit solution because CO2 laser above 6 kW are rare and its power will not increase gradually like fiber laser.
This is a comparision of cutting thickness and speed between CO2 and fiber laser.
And below is the thickness and speed after we retrofit Bystronic and Trumpf CO2 laser cutting machine to fiber laser.
Our CO2 retrofit solution is more affordable than buying a new fiber laser cutting machine. And we have retrofit Bystronic Bysprint series, Byspeed series, Bystar series with 3kw, 6kw, 12kw, Trumpf TASC200, TASC3, TASC4 series with 3kw, 6kw, 12kw.
Many customers have retrofitted several CO2 laser cutting machine after they know our CO2 retrofit solution, You can also see more real CO2 retrofit cases from our youtube channel, facebook or ins.
