At present, in the metal processing market, the optical fiber laser cutting machine has gradually replaced the CO2 laser cutting machine and traditional processing methods, becoming the mainstream equipment for sheet metal processing. What are the differences and advantages between optical fiber laser cutting machine and carbon dioxide laser cutting machine?
Different light-emitting media
In the CO2 laser cutting machine, the gas is the medium to generate the laser beam, and the beam is transmitted through the reflector. Fiber lasers are transmitted through diodes and fiber optic cables. The laser beam is generated by multiple diode pumps and then transmitted to the laser cutting head through a flexible optical fiber cable, rather than through a reflector.
More compact appearance of optical fiber laser cutting machine
Due to different laser transmission structures, the optical fiber laser cutting machine with the same appearance and size and power is more compact than the carbon dioxide laser cutting machine and can use a larger processing area. This not only saves the internal space of the machine itself, but also saves the space occupied by the machine.
Differences between optical fiber laser cutting machine and CO2 laser cutting machine
Higher conversion efficiency of optical fiber laser cutting machine
The optical fiber laser cutting machine has a complete solid state digital module and a single design. Compared with CO2 laser cutting, it has higher photoelectric conversion efficiency. The actual utilization rate of each power supply unit of CO2 laser cutting machine is about 8% to 10%, while for optical fiber laser cutting machine, the value is about 25% to 30%. With the development and updating of technology, the conversion rate of optical fiber is also increasing. Taking IPG laser as an example, the conversion rate has now exceeded 40%, and it is constantly updated and improved, and the volume of the laser is also constantly shrinking and innovating
Generally, the energy consumption of optical fiber laser cutting system is about 3 to 5 times lower than that of carbon dioxide cutting system, thus increasing the energy efficiency to more than 86%.
The processing effect of optical fiber laser cutting machine is better
Fiber laser has the characteristics of short wavelength, which can improve the absorption of cutting materials to the beam, and can cut brass, copper and non-conductive materials. When cutting materials with thickness not exceeding 6mm, the cutting speed of 1.5kW optical fiber laser cutting machine is equivalent to that of 3kW carbon dioxide laser cutting machine. Nowadays, the power of fiber laser is getting higher and higher, and there is no problem with 40mm stainless steel and carbon steel. The cutting effect is also very good, while the thickness of CO2 laser cutting machine is completely limited.
Low maintenance cost of optical fiber laser cutting machine
CO2 laser cutting machine uses gas as the luminous medium. Due to the purity of carbon dioxide gas, the resonator will be polluted and needs to be cleaned regularly. The reflector needs maintenance and calibration, so the daily maintenance work is more. For kilowatt CO2 laser cutting machine, this item requires at least 20000 dollars per year. However, the laser characteristics of fiber laser cutting machine are embodied in miniaturization, high intensity, high brightness and high conversion rate. For sheet metal processing, the cutting speed of optical fiber laser cutting machine with the same power is 2-3 times that of carbon dioxide, and the cutting part is smooth.
The reason why the optical fiber laser cutting machine can quickly stand firm in the market and gradually replace the traditional cutting process is that its various technical advantages provide the necessary technology for the realization of product finishing.
