The primary advantages of cutting flat sheet metal with Fiber laser technology are derived from its monolithic, Fiber-to-Fiber, compact solid state design configuration that is maintenance free and provides a lower cost of operation than can be achieved with comparable CO2 lasers.
Fiber laser beam characteristics also provide for much faster cutting speeds than CO2 lasers.
The focused beam of even a 2 kW Fiber laser demonstrates a 5X greater power density at the focal point when compared with a 4 kW CO2 laser. It also possesses a 2.5X greater absorption characteristic due to the shorter wavelength of the Fiber laser.
The higher absorption of the Fiber wavelength and the higher power density created by the focused beam combine to achieve up to a five time increase in cutting speeds in materials that are less than 1/4 inch thick.
Fiber laser cutting systems can certainly cut up to one-inch thick with higher Fiber laser powers and even cut faster when utilizing nitrogen as the assist gas, but the “sweet spot” where the most significant benefits are realized is in the 5/16 inch and under range for steel when making comparisons with CO2 systems. For certain, if you are processing stainless, aluminum, brass or copper materials, Fiber laser technology is the fastest and most economical regardless of thickness.
