When the subject matter is about laser cutting, many people do still believe that the efficiency of the process is mainly attributable to raw laser power. However, it’s a common misconception that continues to resonate in the world of machining and is primarily due to the popularity of the CO2 laser system. But with the rapid growth of fiber lasers, raw cutting power is not the only aspect that matters. Other factors have to be taken into account as well to ensure the efficiency of laser cutting.
One specific consideration is the machine dynamics or the acceleration and/or deceleration which are seen to be the major constraint when cutting thin materials. It means increasing the cutting speed does not guarantee a reduction in cycle time. This is because it largely depends on the specific geometry of the parts to be cut. For instance, the case of laser cutting using very high speeds like one meter per second. The cycle time for cutting parts with very intricate features will be constrained by the acceleration instead of the cutting speed. This is because before the operator can get up to the machine’s full speed, he has to move to another corner first.
When it comes to operations that involve bigger parts or those without intricate designs, they can highly benefit from the use of high-speed laser cutting as machine dynamics will not be a major factor. This is where a good beam delivery system becomes more important, being able to handle the amount of power needed for whatever it is that the operator is sending through the machine. The bottom line is that a lot of power has been out there for long, but it does not always ensure a reliable production tool. So, there is actually more to it than just a mere raw power to attain the desired efficiency.
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