The dynamic developmentóy of the world and huge technological advances in industry are providing ever better and more efficient devices to make our daily work easier. It is usually the case that with the arrival of "something" new, unknown, many questions and uncertainties arise, to whichóre hard to find a clear answer. Which device to choose? Which technology will be best for my business? This question is asked by many entrepreneursów facing the choice of buying an industrial machine.
The most well-known sources of laser cutting machines on the market are CO2, Fiber and YAG. Each of the mentioned lasers has both advantages and disadvantages. There is no "golden mean" here thatós right for everyone.
.When considering the purchase of CNC laser cutting machines, the most important issue is its proper selectionór. You need to ask yourself what you will use it for, what material you will use for machiningóbki, and most importantly what budget you have for it. The main ró?difference of laser machines available on the market is the built-in laser sourceód. A very important factor in choosing a machine is also the cost of operating the machine, whichóre directly reflected in the cost of production.
CO2 laser
The most popular in the manufacturing industry is the CO2 gas laser, in whichóthe source of the beam is a mixture of carbon dioxide and other electrically-activated gases. The beam is then guided to the working table by a system of mirrors. The wavelength of the CO2 laser is 10.6 micrometers. At one time it was the most popular type of laser due to its versatility and high efficiency. CO2 laser cutters are very good at cutting thin sheet metal and plasticómaterials. It is worth dividing the classification of CO2 lasersóinto those for metals and those for non-metals. In the case of equipment for non-metals, CO2 lasers are, for the moment, irreplaceable and unrivaled on the market. It is worth noting, however, that in the case of CO2 laser cutters for cutting metals (mainly those with high power), this technology is slowly becoming a thing of the past, due to the emergence of a new laser beam based on fiber optic transmission. The numerous components and initiating gases consumed during operation generate higher costs, and the optical design thatóra directly affects the power of the device requires systematic maintenance.
Fiber laser
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The Fiber optic laser is based on an active optical fiber, inside of which radiation is generated. It is doped with ionsóytterbium ions (wavelength of about 1um) of elementsós from rare earths. The active medium is pumped with laser diodes (wavelength of about 976-980nm) and guided along a thin optical fiber similar to those used in other industries such as telecommunications. Fiber lasers belong to the group of solid-state lasersós. Fiber laser cutters are more economical and use up to 70 percent less energy than gas lasers. The low wavelength and higher energy density means that Fiber laser sources are able to generate high cutting speeds while requiring less energy. This technology makes it possible to cut primarily metals, but also someór plastics. The greatest advantages of Fiber laser cutters, using the appropriate machine design, are their speed of operation, very low noise emissions and the precision of operation unattainable by other devices.
Till recently there was a conviction on the market that Fiber lasers had limited performance, because in the case of cutting thick materialsó they did not pass the test and in such cases gas machines were recommended. As Fiber technology has improved, however, it has become increasingly versatile and seems to be slowly displacing CO2. The ever-increasing power used in Fiber lasers makes it work great also for cutting thick sheets and plastics. artificial. To make a simple porócomparison, let's assume a Fiber source with a power of 4 kW, whichóre able to cut 1mm thick steel sheets at a speed about three times that of a CO2 laserós. If, on the other hand, we consider 2mm sheets, this difference decreases to about twoótimes. For materials from 8 mm upwards, the performance of fiber laser and CO2 laser is already similar, without prejudging the superiority of one device over the other. In the case of thicker materialsów before choosing, we should consider the operating costs and the type of material to be cut.
YAG laser (yttrium-aluminum-granate)
.is a laser based on a solid state medium. In YAG-type sources, the active medium is a grown monocrystal composed of three componentsóyttrium, aluminum and garnet. Inside it is embedded neodymium. In the source are placed pó? laser diodes, whichó? by generating radiation cause activation of the beam. YAG-based lasers do not need a gas to generate the beam. They emit radiation with a wavelength of 1064nm (the same wavelength thatórs Fiber lasers have) and significant energy. This makes YAG lasers ideal for marking both metals, enamel materials and plastics. Laser cutters based on the YAG source contain rather expensive consumable pump diodes, which&oac;re replaced on average every +/-12,000 operating hours. The YAG laser monocrystal has a much shorter lifespan than the Fiber laser making it less economical to operate.
For many years, YAG lasers with a power of 100-500 watts have also been used to weld small componentsów like instruments used in medicine or electronic equipment housings.
There are fewer and fewer servicesóon the market that undertake servicing and periodic inspections, which puts another burden on usersóof machines that are already out of service. This is evidenced, among other things, by the fact that in recent years we have noticed an increase in the number of companies approaching our service department with requests for assistance, especiallyólly in cases where it involves servicing machines from other manufacturers. These companies need support because no one else, often in spite of efforts, has been able to help themóc. In order to meet the expectations of our customersów, to the extent that our service department has time, we try to undertake serviceów also for machines not of our production. This is evidenced by one of our recent serviceós, in which we came in as the 6th (sixth) company, after unsuccessful prós of previous service teams. We encourage you to read the references describing the above situation located at the following link: https://atmsolutions.pl/atmsolutions_opinie#veyna.
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Main differences between CO2, Fiber, YAG lasers:
.| CO2 | Fiber | Yag | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
OPTICS |
Beam transmission optics. Losses of shielding gasesóre pumped into the beam path. | Losses of shielding gasesóre pumped into the beam path. | No internal optics, mirrors, generator and lamps. The beam is carried by means of a fiber optic cable. | No internal optics. | Lack of internal optics, mirrors, generator and lamps. | .|
| ENERGY COSTS | .Large energy consumption costs. | Large energy costs. | Energy costs 70% less than a CO2 laser. | Cost of energy consumption. | Energy consumption costs slightly higher than Fiber technology. | High energy costs. |
| COSTS OF OPERATION | .High costs of spare parts and servicing after a long period of use. | High costs of spare parts and servicing after a long period of use. | Lower operating costs than in CO2. | Low maintenance costs. | Relatively low machine costs, but high costs for consumable parts and source regeneration. | High operating costs. |
| Additional costs | .Increased operating cost : replacement of fansów filtersów or pipes, prós pump. | Larger operating cost. | Less failure rate. | .Relatively expensive pumping diodes, whichór life. low. | ||
| COOLING REQUIREMENTS | .High cooling demand | .Less cooling demand | .Significant cooling demand. | Major cooling demand. | ||
| RANGE OF MATERIALSÓW | .Increased range of materialsów processed: plastics, using a head with the possibility of using booster gas rów metals as well. | Metals. | Metals and someós plastics. | Metals and someóre plastics. | .||
| MACHINE COST | .Lower machine cost than Fiber source machines. | Low machine cost. | High machine price. | High machine price. | Low machine price. | Low machine price. |
| Accuracy | .Less accurate and slower cutting. | More accurate and slower cutting. | More precise and faster cutting of thin materialsów. | More precise and slower cutting. | Less accurate and slower cutting. | More accurate and slower cutting. |
In summary, in the CNC cutting machine market, users have several choices. Sometimes the rós quality and speed differences are due to the material thatós being machined. Cutting most metal alloys, comes out better on a Fiber laser, while there are cases when a CO2 laser is required to get the right quality. The choice, however, ultimately belongs to the user of the machine and his expectations.
C2 lasers have an advantage over Fiber in that, in addition to cutting metals, they allow for the processing of epoxy resins, PETów, leatheróry, glass, paper, wood. It is worth considering them if the company's business profile is not focused only on a narrow range of materials usedów and large-scale metal cutting.
Fiber-optic lasers have the ability to cut reflective materialsós (e.g.:aluminum, copper) without the risk of damaging the device, as well as coping with the cutting of someós plastics.
For such a serious investment as the purchase of a laser cutting machine, the user should make a considered decision on what type of machine will be the best solution for his business profile. Whether to bet on the more developing Fiber technology, or perhaps, however, on the proven, but by many considered declining and successively withdrawing from the market CO2. It should be remembered, however, that it is the company providing the solution that should be a partner and support in the selection of technology and provide good, supported by many years of experience advice in the choice of equipment.
The fact is that more and more voicesóing in favor of Fiber optic technology are being heard in the industry. The main argument is the speed of the machine, and as we know in industry , "time is money”. Despite the fact that the price of the machine is much higher, the total settlement over the life of the machine can prove to be quite different and carry a lot of economic benefits for the potential user .It seems that at this moment Fiber lasers are the future and it is they who will dominate the branch of industry based on cutting metals up to several tens of mm thick. Of course, until a completely new technology emerges...
Bibliography
[1] https://atmsolutions.pl/
[2] Bernard Ziętek, Lasers, UMK Scientific Publishers, Toruń 2008, ISBN 978-83-231-2195-4
[3] Svelto O. Principles of Lasers 1989 Plenum Press, New York
[4] Gomersall A.,Lasers in Materials Processes, A ibliography of a Developing Technology, 1986,p.112
[5] https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/
[6] https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser
[7] www.cnc.info.pl - forum
