Difference Between Fiber and Co2 Laser Cutting Machine

In the metal-working field, fiber laser cutting machines have gradually replaced CO2 laser cutting machines to become the popular equipment in sheet metal processing. It raises a question. What is the difference between fiber laser cutting machine and CO2 laser cutting machine, and what are the advantages for each?

Different luminous media

For the CO2 laser cutting machine, gas is the medium that generates the laser beam, and the beam is transmitted through the mirrors.

The fiber laser cutting machine uses diodes and fiber optic cables for transmission. Multiple diode pumps generate laser beams, which are then sent to the laser cutting head through flexible fiber optic cables instead of transmitting the beams through mirrors.

Fiber laser cutting machine has a small footprint

Determined by the laser transmission method, for the fiber laser cutter and CO2 laser cutting machine with the same power, the former would have a smaller footprint than the latter.

Fiber laser cutting machine has a higher conversion efficiency of electromechanical light

With fiber laser complete solid-state digital module and single design, fiber laser machine has higher electro-optical conversion efficiency than co2 laser cutting machine. The actual utilization rate of each power supply unit of the CO2 laser cutting machine is about 8% to 10%. For a fiber laser steel cutting machine, this value is about 25% to 30%. The overall energy consumption of the fiber laser cutting system is about 3 to 5 times less than that of the co2 cutting system, which increases the energy efficiency to more than 86%.

The cutting effect of fiber laser cutting machine is more precise than that of Co2

Fiber laser has the characteristics of short wavelength, which improves the absorption of the cutting material to the beam. It enables cutting such as brass and copper as well as non-conductive materials. When cutting materials up to 6mm thick, the cutting speed of a 1.5kW fiber laser cutting machine is equivalent to that of a 3kW co2 laser cutting machine. As for thin plate cutting, the cutting rate of the same power fiber laser cutting machine is 2-3 times higher than that of CO2, and the cutting section is smooth.

Based on this, fiber optic laser cutters are widely used in these fields: sheet metal fabrication, aviation, aerospace, electronics, electrical appliances, subway accessories, automobiles, food machinery, textile machinery, engineering machinery, precision accessories, ships, metallurgical equipment, elevators, household appliances, Craft gifts, tool processing, decoration, advertising, metal processing, kitchenware processing, and other manufacturing and processing industries. 

If you have an interest, please check out the top 7 applicable industries of fiber laser cutting machines here. 

The maintenance cost of fiber laser cutting machine is lower than co2

The structure of the CO2 laser is relatively complicated, and the later maintenance cost is relatively high. The co2 laser system must be cleaned and maintained regularly, and the mirror must be cleaned and calibrated regularly. In addition, due to the purity of the co2 gas, the resonant cavity must be routinely maintained. In addition, the turbine that transports the laser gas must be regularly maintained and refurbished. Hence, the maintenance cost in the later period is very high and complicated.

The fiber laser metal cutting machine is relatively simple to maintain in the later stage, and can be competent in harsh working environments, and has a high tolerance for dust, shock, impact, humidity, and temperature.

Due to the development of fiber laser cutting machines and their advantages, they are more and more popular. At present, co2 is mainly used for cutting non-metallic materials, such as cloth, leather, acrylic, and plastic. While the fiber laser cutting machine is more applied to the cutting of metal materials.

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