Why does laser cutting use compressed air? How to choose a special air compressor?
Laser cutting uses a high-power density laser beam to irradiate the material to be cut, so that the material is quickly heated to the vaporization temperature, and holes are formed after evaporation. As the beam moves on the material, the holes continuously form a very narrow width (such as about 0.1mm). seam to complete the cutting of the material.
Laser cutting is widely used in sheet metal processing, metal processing, advertising production, kitchenware, automobiles, lamps, saw blades, elevators, metal crafts, textile machinery, food machinery, glasses production, aerospace, medical equipment, instrumentation and other industries. Laser cutting machines currently mainly include melt cutting, vapor cutting, oxygen cutting, dicing and controlled fracture cutting.
Comparison of cutting speeds of several cutting methods: laser cutting speed>plasma cutting>oxygen cutting>hydraulic cutting
Laser cutting auxiliary air source
Laser cutting machines can meet the cutting requirements of various materials and complex shapes. In addition to providing high-energy lasers, auxiliary gas is indispensable in the cutting process. Its functions are to support combustion and heat dissipation; and to blow away the molten stains produced by cutting in a timely manner. , Prevent dust from clogging the laser nozzle, and third, protect the focusing lens and extend its service life.
The main auxiliary gases used for laser cutting are:
Oxygen (O2): High-purity oxygen has strong oxidizing properties, and the cutting surface is easy to turn black, affecting subsequent processing.
Nitrogen (N2): Generally used for processing precious metals or processing with very high precision, the cost is higher than oxygen cutting.
Compressed Air: Wide processing range, precision, and stable gas consumption. Air contains about 20% oxygen, so it can make up for the lack of oxygen and nitrogen to a certain extent.
Select compressed air as the auxiliary gas for laser cutting. In order to ensure the optimal air consumption and the matching of the laser cutting machine, there are three parameters for laser cutting selection: pressure, flow rate and air source quality.
Pressure: The thickness of the plate that the laser cutting machine can cut with the air compressor mainly depends on the laser power and has little to do with the compressed air pressure. When the laser power is large enough, the higher the compressed air pressure, the better the laser cutting quality and the higher the cutting efficiency.
For example, in a laser cutting machine that uses compressed air as auxiliary gas, after drying and purification, the compressed air is divided into three channels, which are used as auxiliary cutting gas, cylinder power source, and dust removal gas. The proportion of cutting gas is approximately the total compressed air consumption. 80-90%.
For laser cutting machines that do not use compressed air but use nitrogen or oxygen as auxiliary gas, an air compressor with a small flow rate is still required to provide a cylinder power air source, but only a 6-7bar normal pressure air source is required.
Flow rate: The size of the flow rate mainly depends on the size of the nozzle. As mentioned before, the nozzle accounts for 80~90% of the air consumption. Laser cutting machine nozzles have many specifications, and there are 7 common specifications: 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0. The determination of this flow rate can be obtained by calculating the nozzle flow rate, or querying the nozzle flow table, or directly asking the laser cutting machine manufacturer.
The quality of compressed air has a very direct impact on the quality of laser cutting.
If the compressed air contains water mist and oil and is sprayed at high pressure onto the protective mirror of the laser cutting head, it will seriously affect the transmission of the laser beam, causing the focus to be dispersed, causing the product to be unable to be cut through and producing waste products. Ultra-powerful laser cutting machines may also burn out the laser head.
Therefore, drying and purifying compressed air is very important. To remove water mist, a cold dryer with excellent performance is required. To remove dust, a high-precision filter set is required.
Rocky laser cutting air compressor integrates an air compressor, cold dryer, air storage tank, air-water separator, filter, and drainer to form a complete air source system. It is usually more scientific, reliable, and secure in terms of economy, stability, environmental protection, and energy saving than users purchasing individual products for configuration themselves or leaving them to middlemen.
A brand-new digital management system enables remote management and digital protection. The newly upgraded high-efficiency cold dryer has more stable operating performance and longer service life. 5-level high-efficiency precision filtration ensures the purity of terminal gas. Equipped with an automatic drainage system, the application site is cleaner.
Rocky fully customizes the design for users' laser cutting needs based on user production conditions, providing users with a digital, intelligent, efficient and reliable laser cutting solution to enhance the competitiveness of your company.