At present, in the metal processing market, fiber laser cutting machines have gradually replaced CO2 laser cutting machines and traditional processing methods, becoming the mainstream equipment in sheet metal processing. What are the differences and advantages between fiber laser cutting machines and CO2 laser cutting machines?
CO2 laser cutting machine, gas is the medium that generates laser beams and transmits them through a reflector. Fiber laser is transmitted through diodes and fiber optic cables. Multiple diodes pump the laser beam, which is then transmitted to the laser cutting head through a flexible fiber optic cable, rather than through a reflector. High maintenance costs, expensive front and rear mirrors, short lifespan of turbine bearings, and high replacement costs. Due to different laser transmission structures, fiber laser cutting machines with the same power in appearance and size are more compact than CO2 laser cutting machines, thereby saving factory space. The fiber laser cutting machine is maintenance free, has almost no consumables, and can withstand harsh working environments. It has a high tolerance for dust, vibration, impact, humidity, and temperature.
With the complete solid-state digital module and single design of fiber laser, the fiber laser cutting machine has higher electro-optical conversion efficiency than carbon dioxide laser cutting. The actual utilization rate of each power unit of CO2 laser cutting machine is about 8% to 10%, while for fiber laser cutting machine, this value is about 25% to 30%. The overall energy consumption of fiber laser cutting system is about 3 to 5 times less than that of carbon dioxide cutting system, which improves energy efficiency to more than 86%.
CO2 lasers have complex structures, high maintenance costs, and large beam divergence during processing, making them unsuitable for large format processing. Although the cutting seam is relatively fine, the speed is very slow when processing thick plates. The laser characteristics of fiber laser cutting machines are reflected in miniaturization, intensification, high brightness, and high conversion rate. When processing thin plates, the cutting speed of the same power fiber laser cutting machine is 2-3 times higher than that of CO2, and the cutting section is smooth.
Fiber laser has the characteristic of short wavelength, which improves the absorption of light beams by cutting materials and enables the cutting of non conductive materials such as brass and copper. When cutting materials up to 6mm thick, the cutting speed of a 1.5kW fiber laser cutting machine is equivalent to that of a 3kW carbon dioxide laser cutting machine.
The CO2 laser cutting machine uses gas as the luminescent medium. Due to the purity of CO2 gas, the resonant cavity may be contaminated and needs to be cleaned regularly. The reflector needs to be maintained and calibrated, so the daily maintenance workload is greater. For a multi kilowatt CO2 laser cutting machine, this project requires at least $20000 per year. Overall, fiber laser cutting is more environmentally friendly and convenient in the daily maintenance of equipment.