Sheet metal fabrication is one of the most important industrial manufacturing techniques adopted the world over to carry out sheet metal processing. In laser cutting fabrication, we at SAN Automotive make use of a high-power beam of light (laser) to cut out flat and thin sheets of metals for a comprehensive range of laser cut bend metal parts. The optics and computer numerical control (CNC) technology direct the entire process accounting for the high-precision metal parts by laser cutting.
What does LASER stand for?
LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The working principle of laser lies in the fact that it excites atoms of certain elements in a controlled environment. The electrons present in the atoms shift positions in their orbit, and while moving back, they release a stream of coherent light energy. The energy generated this way contains photons that are guided through a lens. And then they concentrate into a single stream, as a result the said power gets substantial.
Structure and components of our laser cutting machines
A CNC laser cutting machine that we have installed in our facility consists of the following components:
• Laser beam source
• Laser beam guidance, and
• Processing head or focusing optics (converging lens or concave mirror)
Factors that influence the quality of the cut:
• Cutting gas pressure
• Feed rate
• Strength of the laser source, and
• Focus position.
Laser cutting in our manufacturing facility always results in smooth and burr-free cutting edges. Hence, to carry out particularly fine cutting tasks, we use the laser beam sublimation cutting technique.
Salient Benefits of Laser Cutting in Metal Fabrication
Unmatched Flexibility
Laser cutting does not call for an exchange of tools for each separate cut. We at SAN Automotive make use of the same setup for cutting a large number of shapes. What’s more, even the most challenging cuts don’t pose any intriguing problems.
High Precision
When it comes to high and flawless accuracy, no procedure is better than laser cutting. It is one of the most significant advantages of laser cutting, particularly in comparison to other thermal cutting methods. Accuracy of +/-0.1 mm helps us achieve high precision with almost no need for any kind of after-treatment. In most cases, no added tolerances are required at all.
Repeatability
+/- 0.05 mm ensures parts that are almost replicas of each other.
Speed
Laser cutting is many times faster than all other mechanical cutting methods. This type of metal-cutting methodology proves to be a panacea when it comes to dealing with extremely complex cuts. In comparison to other thermal cutting methods like plasma or flame cutting, laser cutting scores heavily over all others in terms of speed up to a certain thickness nearing around 10 mm.
Automation
As one of the top sheet metal parts fabricators, we have installed a fully automated laser cutting machine in our manufacturing facility. Therefore, the process calls for no heavy manpower during the production and during after-treatment procedures. What we have is a skilled and experienced machine operator who plays a crucial role up to the final phase. The speed of cutting and a very moderate need for manual labor make the entire process cost-effective when compared to other cutting methods.