Advanced technologies have been developed that work wonders in the metal fabricating industry. There are various techniques used to create the final product, including laser technology. Each technique is explained below.
Fiber optic laser cutting - a fiber optic laser beam generates energy that is absorbed into the surface of material being cut. Such energy is then converted into heat which melts and cuts the material into parts. This technology provides a high level of precision at a much greater speed. It is perfect to use in cutting reflective materials such as titanium, aluminum, copper, brass and galvanized steel.
CO₂ laser cutting - this type of laser technology makes use of gas mixture to produce laser beam for the purpose of making cuts during metal fabricating. A wear-free semiconductor excitation module creates the required high voltage in the resonator. Many metal fabricators believe that it’s faster to use in a straight line, offers much faster piercing times, and provides a smoother surface finish in cutting thicker materials.
Flame or oxy acetylene cutting - this process works with a source of intense preheat and pure oxygen. It can be used to severe and cut different materials which require that the oxide formed should have a lower melting point than its base material. Aluminum, for instance, is very difficult to flame cut because the element’s oxide is much higher than its melting point.
Waterjet cutting - this technique uses water through a high-pressure pump that cuts into material with a force as high as 60,000 psi. Fabricators use this process to cut thicker materials where heat from a laser can interfere with the cut, resulting to poor quality. On the other hand, waterjets can handle steel, ceramic and as well as stone where a laser will not be feasible.
Plasma cutting - a significant number of metal fabricating companies find this technique very effective in cutting through electrically conductive materials using plasma, a hot electrically ionized gas. The electricity that travels from the torch down to the plasma, a sufficient heat is created that melts the material. Meanwhile, the compressed gas and the high velocity plasma blow the molten parts away allowing to cut through the metal. Being low cost but high speed, plasma cutting is widely used for larger industrial applications.