How Does A Fiber Laser Cutting Machine Work?

By Author: Steven Glassner
Total Articles: 153
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Laser cutting is a process that uses heat from a laser to cut materials and does not require blades or knives. A fiber laser cutting machine uses infrared light to cut materials, which makes it possible for the device to operate with extreme precision and accuracy.

Laser cutting is an alternative to traditional industrial cutting processes such as water jet cutting, blade cutting, or sawing. It is also more cost-effective than other digital fabrication processes such as 3D printing or CNC routing.

The main benefits of laser cutting are its speed, accuracy, clean cuts, and minimal need for post-processing of the final product. This article covers everything you need to know about how a fiber laser cutting machine works:

What Is A Fiber Laser?

First, let’s understand what fiber lasers are. Fiber lasers are the most powerful, high-precision cutting tools designed for industrial use. They create high-intensity focused beams of light by pumping a laser diode through an optical fiber.

Fiber lasers are an extremely versatile type of laser that can be used for many different industrial ...
... applications. These include laser cutting, welding, and pumping.

Fiber lasers are energy-efficient, high-power devices that generate a high-intensity beam. Fiber lasers operate at high temperatures, so they usually require water cooling. The high power of fiber lasers is generated by a process called “pumping” which uses electricity to pump electrons through a rod of rare-earth elements such as ytterbium or neodymium.

This process creates high-density, high-wavelength radiation. The radiation is then guided through a fiber that acts as a superconducting wire, channeling the laser’s power.

Fiber lasers are powerful, efficient, and durable cutting tools. They are able to produce extremely precise, clean cuts and are used in a wide range of industries including aerospace, medical, automotive, and structural engineering.

Bystronic Parts And Bystronic Laser Consumables

Bystronic parts and Bystronic Laser consumables include:

Laser Tubes

Laser tube replacement as well as service and maintenance are covered by the standard equipment warranty in case of failure.

Laser Tube Modules

Depending on the size of the machine and the configuration, there are multiple possibilities for the fiber laser tube modules. In the case of tube replacement, the customer needs to take into account the configuration of the machine.

Laser Tube Cooling Water Tubes

The Bystronic Laser consumables have a wide range of cooling water tubes for all types of machines. Depending on the machine, different water tubes may be used.

Air Filters

The air filters are designed to remove all kinds of particles from the air to protect the machine from failures.

Drive Units

The drive units are responsible for the linear motion of the machine. They include electric motors and mechanical parts.

Laser Head

The laser head is the device that encloses the laser tube. Depending on the type of machine, there are different laser heads available.

How Does A Fiber Laser Cutter Work?

Fibre laser cutting works in a similar way to laser cutting. The device focuses a high-intensity light beam onto the surface of the material that is being cut. The light energy is so intense that it vaporizes the material, creating a plasma that burns the surface.

The intense heat causes a reaction between the gas and the surrounding surface, which creates a chemical reaction that results in a rapid breakdown of the material. The plasma created by the intense light energy also creates an electromagnetic field that is strong enough to separate the charged ions in the material.

Once the material is broken down into fine dust, the device uses a suction mechanism to pull the dust away from the cut surface. The key difference between laser cutting and fiber laser cutting is that fiber lasers use optical fiber to focus the light beam.

This means that the device is able to deliver a controlled, concentrated beam that is more precise and accurate than a regular laser beam.

Bottom line

Fiber lasers are very powerful, high-precision cutting tools. They use concentrated light beams to vaporize the surface of the material being cut and create a chemical reaction that results in a rapid breakdown of the material.

Fibre laser cutters are extremely precise, accurate, and powerful machines that can create clean, accurate cuts with little or no post-processing.

However, these devices are very expensive and have some limitations, including a long warm-up time and a short working time. They are also very noisy and require water cooling to prevent them from overheating.

Steve M Glassner is the General Manager of Alternative Parts Inc, the leading manufacturer and distributor of Amada machinery replacement parts. Steve is a Machine Tools industry enthusiast and frequently writes about various aspects of the industry.