The advantages of laser cutting over traditional CNC in Kunshan sheet metal processing

With the application of laser cutting machines, the processing technology of sheet metal in Kunshan has experienced rapid growth and has brought revolutionary concepts to sheet metal processing in Kunshan. As for the traditional sheet metal cutting equipment deployment, it mainly relies on numerical control equipment deployment, including shearing machines, punching machines, flame cutting, plasma cutting, high-pressure water cutting, etc. So, compared with these, what advantages do laser cutting machines have? 

The CNC shearing machine, due to its key feature of performing straight-line cutting, can indeed cut sheets up to 4 meters in length with a single operation. However, it can only be used in sheet metal processing where only straight-line cutting is required. It is usually employed in industries where only straight-line cutting is necessary, such as cutting sheets after they have been flattened. 

The CNC punch press has greater flexibility in curve processing. One punch press can have one or more sets of square, round or other specially required punches. It can produce some specific sheet metal parts at one time. The most common application is in the computer case and cabinet industry. Their required processing techniques mainly involve cutting such as straight lines, square holes, round holes, etc., with relatively simple and stable patterns. Its advantages are fast processing speed for simple shapes and thin plates, while its disadvantage is limited processing ability when punching thick steel plates. Even if it can be punched, the surface of the workpiece will collapse. The mold development cycle is long, the cost is high, and the flexibility level is insufficiently high. 

Flame cutting, as the original traditional cutting method, has a low investment cost and was not highly demanding in terms of processing quality in the past. When higher quality was required, an additional machining process could be added to solve the problem. Therefore, it has a very large market share. Nowadays, it is mainly used for cutting thick steel plates over 40mm in thickness. Its disadvantages are that the cutting gap is too wide, the thermal deformation is too large, materials are wasted, and the processing speed is too slow, making it suitable only for rough processing. 

Plasma cutting and precise plasma cutting are similar to flame cutting. The heat affected zone is too large, but the precision is much higher than that of flame cutting. The speed is also several orders of magnitude faster. They have become the main force in medium plate processing. The disadvantage is that when cutting thin steel plates, the thermal deformation is too large and the slope is also relatively large. When the precision requirements are high, they are powerless. The cost of the products is relatively high. 

High-pressure water cutting is a process that uses a high-speed water jet mixed with diamond sand to cut sheet metal. It offers almost no restrictions on the material and can achieve a cutting thickness of over 100mm. It can also cut materials that are prone to cracking when cut by heat, such as ceramics and glass. Copper and aluminum, which have high reflectivity to lasers, can be cut by water jets, while laser cutting has a higher rate of failure. The disadvantages of water cutting are that the processing speed is too slow, it is dirty, not environmentally friendly, and the cost of waste products is high. 

Laser cutting represents a revolutionary process in sheet metal processing and is regarded as the "core of sheet metal processing". It features high flexibility, fast cutting speed, high production efficiency, short production cycle, and has won a wide market for customers. Laser cutting has no cutting force and no deformation during processing; there is no tool wear, and the material's adaptability is good. Whether it is simple or complex parts, they can all be finely and quickly formed and cut by laser in one process. The cutting seam is narrow, the cutting quality is good, the automation level is high, the operation is convenient, the labor intensity is low, and there is no pollution. It can achieve automatic cutting layout and nesting, improving material utilization rate, reducing production costs, and achieving good economic benefits. The useful life of this technology is long. Currently, most plates over 2 millimeters in thickness abroad adopt laser cutting, and many foreign experts equally believe that the next 30-40 years will be the golden period for the development of laser processing technology.