While laser cutting services offer great advantages over other forms of cutting technologies, there are always both benefits and drawbacks to keep in mind, so that you can be prepared to any possibilities that may occur. There is no doubt that a laser cutting machine can be used to cut a wide range of materials. However, a specific type of material to be cut and its characteristics can limit the suitability of some laser types, certain cutting methodologies, and the type of assist gas used.
Also, the thickness of the material also plays a vital role in determining applicability of several factors for a laser cutting application such as the focal position, optimal laser power, and the pressure of the assist gas. Plus, within a single material, there are also different levels of thickness that have to be dealt with that require necessary adjustments to the depth and cut speed as the cutting progresses. This may lead to some inconsistencies in large production runs if plenty of adjustments have to be done.
Another great benefit that laser cutting services provide is the high-quality cuts that don’t need secondary finishing processes. This can be very advantageous to some extent but it may also cause some issues for certain applications. This is particular in case of work hardening of the laser cut edges that necessitate further processing like powder coating. In this case, surface treatment is required prior to the coating which can increase total processing costs.
And lastly, the initially high equipment cost of laser cutting machines may not be suitable for low budget operations. However, for bigger manufacturing applications with enough budget that require high-quality results, opting for the best laser cutting services would be an excellent option. The high upfront cost of using this cutting technology will be compensated by more efficient and powerful capacity of laser cutters.