When you need products to be manufactured with precision, it’s best to use a laser cutter. More traditional methods of cutting and shaping materials usually involve more steps and create more waste. A laser cutter, however, can be programed to cut with precision and can produce multiple products per minute. Here are key basics for understanding why precision laser cutting is considered high quality and commonly used by manufacturers.
Cutting With Ease
One of the key reasons why a laser cutting machine is chosen by fabricators is that it makes cutting metal easy, so it’s useful for productive endeavors. A laser cutter relies on a beam of light that cannot be seen by the human eye, but is powerful enough to melt metal. The beam does not make any physical contact with the material and has minimal thermal impact. Laser cutting is as fine as one-fourth the size of a human hair, making it useful when a high level of accuracy is required.
High Precision Cuts
The highest precision cuts are made from lasers assisted with a coaxial gas such as oxygen. This technology is commonly used for making medical tubes. An essential key to making high quality medical tubes is producing high resolution cut paths with dimensional accuracy. Medical tools with jagged teeth are often made by laser cutters, due to their ability to cut less than .001 inch.
The high level of accuracy on the first cut achieves sustainability since it eliminates the need for further processing, which reduces material waste. Furthermore, the precision laser cutting process has multiple purposes in manufacturing. One of the most valuable purposes for this modern technology is to produce an accurate prototype for a new product.
Fast Turnaround Time
Another reason why laser cutters are favored in manufacturing is they can be used to generate a high output of units per day. Fabricators that use laser cutters can guarantee high volume production in a short turnaround time and attract large orders from large clients. Traditionally, faster production has often been at the expense of accuracy. Laser cutting is useful for both expedited projects and high precision.
Weighing Efficiency
The only other solution that rivals the laser cutter for high precision cutting is electro discharge machining (EDM), which is not as efficient. The laser cutter, which might only take up six square feet, is more flexible and occupies less space than a typical EDM machine, which commonly uses 12 square feet.
Since the laser cutter generates less waste and is superior in multiple ways to traditional cutting methods, it should be considered for manufacturing high quality products. Contact us at Serra Laser to learn more about precision laser cutting.