When laser cutting machine processes metal, stainless steel and carbon steel are widely used. Compared with aluminum alloy, brass and other highly reflective metals, these two metals have better absorption of light, so laser cutting is more widely used.
What are the differences between stainless steel and carbon steel processed by powerful laser cutting machine? What material is suitable for laser cutting machine?
1、 The cutting process is very different
When using laser cutting machine to process stainless steel, because the stainless steel contains 10% – 20% chromium, iron and chromium are prone to exothermic reaction with oxygen during cutting. The oxide of chromium has the characteristic of preventing oxygen from entering the molten material, thus reducing the amount of oxygen entering the molten layer, incomplete oxidation of the molten layer, reduced reaction and cutting speed.
When using a laser cutting machine to process carbon steel, oxygen is usually used as the auxiliary gas. More than 99% of the low carbon steel is iron. The oxidation reaction of iron will also generate a lot of heat. Using oxygen as the auxiliary gas can reduce the requirement for laser energy. Moreover, the melting point and viscosity of the oxide are low, making the adhesion to the surrounding steel plate low. Such slag is also easy to be blown away by oxygen, leaving a smooth section without residue.
2、 Skills in processing different materials
When laser cutting mirror stainless steel, it is necessary to stick laser film to prevent serious scald of the plate. Although there is film protection, there will still be a little scald on the edge. At this time, it is necessary to strictly control the laser cutting process parameters in the processing process to maintain the good corrosion resistance of such materials. The important process parameters that affect the cutting quality of stainless steel are cutting speed, laser power, oxygen pressure and focus.
With the increase of the power of the cutting machine, the laser cutting machine can process thicker and thicker carbon steel. When cutting thicker low carbon steel plates, it is necessary to use a larger diameter nozzle and low pressure oxygen pressure, which can prevent the edge of the cut from burning.
Compared with low carbon steel, stainless steel cutting requires higher laser power and oxygen pressure. Although stainless steel cutting achieves satisfactory cutting effect, it is difficult to obtain a completely slag free cutting seam. Using inert gas as auxiliary gas to cut stainless steel can obtain non-oxidation trimming, which can be directly used for welding, but its cutting speed is about 10% lower than that of oxygen as auxiliary gas.
Compared with the traditional processing method, the laser cutting machine has higher processing efficiency and can achieve mass production, so it is more widely used in the processing of stainless steel and carbon steel. Both metals are suitable for laser cutting processing, but the processing efficiency and processing quality presented need to be constantly adjusted to make the equipment reach a good state.