Advantages of Laser Cutting for Sheet Metal Fabrication
Those who are familiar with sheet metal fabrication know that laser cutting can be a useful process when designs get a bit complex. For instance, if you have to build a complex assembly for a client or a company, you have to ensure that you use the best-in-class practices and machinery for the perfect results. Therefore, you may have to use the laser cutting process for some of your metal fabrication projects. Now, what laser cutting machines are and how they can benefit your metal fabrication project that’s what we will be discussing in this article. Let us dive in.
What Exactly is Laser Cutting?
Laser cutting is basically a manufacturing process where lasers are used to pierce and cut through metal. Laser cutting works by using a laser to heat up the material. Then, the material either melts, burns, or vaporizes away by forced air. Finally, the edge of the material is left with a high-quality finish. That’s how the laser cutting process works compared to water jet cutting machines.
Benefits of Laser Cutting for Sheet Metal Fabrication Projects
Once you know what exactly laser cutting is, it will become easier to understand the benefits of laser cutting associated with sheet metal fabrication projects. Let us explore them.
1: A Cost-Effective Solution
You don’t want to spend too many bucks on a single metal fabrication project. How about utilizing a technique that gets the job done quickly? Well, that’s an aspect where laser cutting technology really shines. This is because laser cutting technology is basically an
automated manufacturing process. It doesn’t require manual labor to monitor the process all the time. So, compared to traditional manufacturing processes, laser cutting doesn’t require too many manual laborers.
Further, it also cuts at a fast pace, so it definitely enhances your production cycle resulting in better overall revenue. So, given that it’s an automated process and also cuts faster, laser cutting is considered one cost-effective solution for sheet metal fabrication projects.
2: Energy Efficient
Energy efficiency is another factor that many businesses now pay attention to. In this regard, the laser cutting manufacturing process shines as it is an energy-efficient process. Yes, laser cutting technology uses less energy to cut various metals such as steel than some other standard cutting methods. However, to understand this benefit, one must have a clear idea of how this technology actually works. When the laser heats up the material, the material usually burns or vaporizes. So, in other words, a thermal process takes place here which doesn’t require that much energy compared to other methods such as plasma cutting.
3: Cuts with Better Precision
Metal sheet fabrication projects require better precision. Therefore, you can rely on the laser cutting process for high-precision cuts.
This is because; laser cutting technology cuts materials such as metal, steel, and plastic with better precision. In addition, you can program your CNC machines to perform complex cuts in a defined geometric pattern. So, this results in precise cuts. Note that laser cutting technology also doesn’t miss out on anything when it comes to its accuracy. So, one can say that it cuts with better precision and also with better accuracy.
4: Requires Less Finishing
As we just spoke about the precise cuts, how can we forget about the overall finishing of those cuts? Well, even here, laser technology has backed you. Its cuts are so refined and precise that they don’t really need too much finishing. So, you also end up some cost here as you won’t have to invest that much time and money in their finishing. So, in short, the laser cutting process reduces the quality check burden as you get fast, precise, and accurate cuts each time.
5: Ensure Faster Cutting which can Increase the Production Rate
Usually, the thickness of the material you are about to cut determines the cutting speed. But with laser cutting technology, you can even cut thick metal sheets in no time. On the other hand, if you have metal sheets around 3/ 8″ in size or smaller, you will be amazed by the laser’s speed in cutting those materials. So, whether it’s a thin material or a thick one, this technology doesn’t disappoint with its speed and accuracy. Naturally, therefore, it also increases your production rate.
6: Remarkable Consistency
Now, when it comes to cutting various types of material, the requirements of each metal fabrication project can be different. So, in short, you need a method that helps you
produce precise cuts without compromising on any quality aspect. Fortunately, that’s another area where laser cutting technology comes to help. This is because; you can program different cuts so that each time it delivers quality cuts without any quality loss. Therefore, if you want to have additional copies of one single project, you can safely rely on this laser cutting process.
7: Versatility – It Offers is Something to Highlight
Last but not least, laser cutting technology is one versatile manufacturing process. This is because it offers so many practical benefits over other methods that it’s tough to overlook. For example, you can program different cuts to ensure better consistency and quality. Further, the laser cuts’ precision and accuracy are not short of any introduction. Also, the fact that this technology really aids in complex cutting-related tasks is also one factor that makes it that versatile option.
Final Thoughts
Now you know some excellent advantages of laser cutting for sheet metal fabrication projects. This technology can do wonders if you utilize it properly for your metal fabrication projects. It cuts at faster speeds without compromising on quality. You can even use it to cut thick materials. No doubt, laser technology is efficient and can make your job easier to cut different types of materials with precise and accurate cuts.