Laser cutting is still considered the fastest way to cut to separate pieces of carbon steel, aluminum or stainless steel. This is the process often used for precision cutting and may often be combined with waterjet or oxycetelene fuel to complete the process. Most often, when the metal plate has a thickness of 6 inches or less, laser cutting is the recommended manner to conduct precision cutting.
There are two basic techniques in conducting laser cutting, which are as follows:
- Arc Laser Cutting. In this process, charged particles are used to cut the metal. Most often, a gas stream is heated to create an arc of equal numbers of positive ions and electrons. This is called ionized gas and electrons freely move about in the arc gas composition. This free exchange of atoms is what is able to cut the metal. To control the gas, an alloy copper nozzle is used to focus the energy stream. The nozzle removes the molten metal heated by the ionized gas.
- Gas Swirling Laser Cutting. In this process, a gas stream is spun alongside cooler gas atoms. As the amperage is increased on the copper nozzle, the ionization increases thus increasing its ability to cut through the metal plate. Without the swirling gas, the cut would be uneven on both sides. The swirling gas allows the laser arc to cut the edge evenly.
There are many other factors to consider in laser cutting basics. To determine which process to use, it is best to determine the thickness of the metal and the required cut to be made. From there, a decision has to be made as to which option is to undertake, whether to use arc laser cutting or gas swirling laser cutting. The kind of laser cutting method would affect not just the cut to be made, but the long term stability of the material cut.