Metal laser cutting – is it worth it?

In our Knowledge Base, we have repeatedly raised issues related to various technologies for the processing of metal sheets – we compared their advantages and disadvantages, analyzed financial aspects, and explained the principle of operation of complex mechanisms. It’s time, however, to take a closer look at laser metal cutting – there are currently various variants of this seemingly homogeneous technology on the market. Does one of them excel and deserve more interest from enterprises? Or are they all just mutual alternatives?

The best technologies on the market

Undoubtedly, metal cutting with a laser is primarily done using a dedicated beam – in particular, it is often fiber technology. As we have already discussed this issue many times, let’s move on to the next solution in the form of our own laser source. Although it is less often used in industrial plants, it is receiving increasingly flattering opinions, especially among Western users. However, it should not be forgotten that regardless of the selected proposal, all models should use intelligent software responsible for remotely adjusting each parameter before starting surface treatment.

Numerous advantages, few disadvantages?

What attracts workshop owners to laser technology is definitely its high accuracy at lower operating costs. While the initial investment may seem high, it pays for itself exceptionally quickly, while requiring less maintenance than gas models. In addition, the fact that metal cutting with a fiber optic beam is available in its offer automatically increases the prestige of the entire facility.

What does Uni-Kat recommend?

First of all, we recommend cutting metal with a Fiber laser, i.e. fiber optic technology. It is a relatively new solution on the market, and is already referred to as a successor to CO2 cutting. Although outsourcing your own beam source seems to be an interesting solution, at the moment too few companies use it to fully assess its benefits.