Is Fiber Laser Cutting the Right Solution for Your Application?
CO2 Vs. Fiber Laser Cutting In recent years, laser cutting of sheet metals has been dominated by the use of fiber laser cutting machines. The main reasons include process reliability-- there's no cut degradation due to the misalignment or contamination of mirrors-- higher cutting speeds, the ability to cut reflective metals such as copper and brass, freedom from maintenance, and lower cost of ownership. CO2 lasers, however, have shown a smoother cut edge for some thicker materials (typically > 0.25” [6 mm]). That being said, this advantage is diminishing as advances in the high power fiber lasers and beam/gas delivery techniques are showing promises to close this gap. Is Fiber Laser Cutting the Right Solution for Your Application? Fiber laser systems have established their capability to cut metals at high quality and accommodate intricate geometries of parts, which are challenging to other processes. However, when it comes to final decision to use a fiber laser cutting machin