Influence of Different Laser Power on Cutting Effect
Ⅰ.
Laser cutting principle
Laser cutting is to use a laser cutting head to focus the laser beam on the surface of the material to melt the material, and at the same time, use the compressed gas coaxial with the laser beam to blow away the melted material, and make the laser beam and the material move relatively along a certain trajectory, thereby forming Shaped slits.
In the laser cutting process, the output power of the laser directly affects the melting ability of the processed material. In order to achieve a better cutting effect, it is necessary to increase the output power according to the requirements of improving the processing ability.
Ⅱ.
Whether the laser output power is suitable is a problem often encountered by customers in various industries. How to judge whether the laser output power is suitable or not becomes particularly important. Some inexperienced technicians may not know very well, so technical engineers bring you effective methods.
Generally, we can judge in two ways:
(1) Observe the section after cutting;
(2) Observe the spark situation during the cutting process.
- Cutting section
Taking the most common carbon steel plate cutting by customers as an example, when the laser power is suitable, the wave marks on the cutting surface are relatively fine, the distance between the wave marks is relatively small, and the lower part of the cutting surface is slightly lagging relative to the cutting direction.
1). When the laser power is too large, the wave marks on the cutting surface will be straight up and down, and the spacing between the wave marks will also become larger.
2). When the laser power is too small, the lower part of the cutting surface will become very rough, with a lot of slag and difficult to remove. If the output power is further reduced, the material will not be cut through.
- Cutting spark situation
Sparks sputtering under the cut material are affected by the fluidity of the molten metal in the kerf. Therefore, the situation of cutting sparks can reflect whether the laser power is appropriate to a certain extent.
1). If the spark is straight and slightly behind the direction of cut travel, the laser power is appropriate.
2). If the spark exhibits a diffuse appearance, or is ahead of the cutting travel direction, the surface laser power is not set properly.
Ⅲ.
The technical engineer has sorted out several situations for you.
The following needs to increase processing capacity can be achieved by increasing the laser output power:
- The cutting speed is too slow, and you want to speed up the cutting speed.
For example, cut 5mm carbon steel plate with oxygen, and cut with 1KW, 2KW, 3KW laser, and the speed is 1.4m/min, 1.8m/min, 2.5m/min respectively.
- The thickness of the material to be cut is thick.
For example, when cutting carbon steel plates, in the case of extreme cutting, 1KW can cut 12mm, 2KW can cut 20mm, and 3KW can cut 25mm.
- Cutting high reflective materials such as gold, silver, copper and aluminum
For example, in the case of extreme cutting, a 3KW laser can cut carbon steel with a thickness of 25mm, but can only cut aluminum with a thickness of 8mm; if you want to cut aluminum with the same thickness of 25mm, you need to increase the power to 8KW.
Ⅳ.
Observing the section condition after cutting and the spark condition during the cutting process are two important basis for judging whether the laser power is suitable. After understanding these, the operator can adjust the laser power reasonably according to these in the future laser cutting process.