Fiber laser cutting is a high-precision cutting technology that uses a fiber laser to cut metal sheets into desired shapes. The laser beam is focused onto the surface of the metal, and the material is vaporized by the intense heat, resulting in a clean, precise cut. Fiber laser cutting is fast, efficient, and offers high precision cuts with minimal material waste. It is especially suitable for cutting thin sheets of metal, as it reduces the heat affected zone and prevents material distortion.
After introduction of Fiber laser technology, most of sheet metal fabricator now confused between following 3 processing methods by Type of machines.
1. Turret Punch Press ( started in year 1985 and competiing with Laser )
2. Laser Cutting - CO2 Laser ( started in year 1995 and copeting with Fiber Laser )
3. Laser Cutting - Fiber ( started in year 2004 and now very popular )
THINK FOR Fiber Laser
if you are not sure how much work load you are getting.
if you have repetitive components with so many holes and volume of sheet metal is more than 40 Ton per month.
if you jobs are not of artistic type.
if you want to work with limited manpower and for limited work per month.
If your job size are 1500X3000 then Fiber Laser comes with this as standard size but Punching machine comes as SPECIAL option.
Small batch products with various parts like pharma industrial machines.
THINK FOR CNC Turret Punching
if you must need forming operaiton like louver.
if you are working with lot of holes and in big volume.
If you are sure that your work load is more than 30 to 40 Ton.
if you have very limited budget and processing size is 1000X2000 then you can get good price CNC Punching machine.
Mass volume of Furniture & Control panel parts.
If you have Alluminium or Copper up to 2mm then punching is right choice. Please forget cheap Fiber laser in this case.
Price comments
Fiber Laser- now a days Laser machine is not just priprietory design of Europeans or Japanese, but Chinese & Indian manufacturers also has very basic design at extreme cheap prices.
If you are Indian or Chinese buyer then you may not need CE certified machine and so machines are very cheap.
IPG is well known pioneer in Fiber Laser technology but now many other players also in market
Raycus
Max Photonics
Nlight
Corewave Photonics
and many more to come
For lighter thickness, you may remove pallet changer because Turret punching also not having pallet changer !!!
Accessories required
1. Compressor & Dryer - Small Laser doesnt require but punching machine must need Compressor
2. Anti vibration pad - Small laser doesnt required but punching machine must need anti vibration pad
3. CAD/CAM - small laser machine has inbuilt basic software where as all punching machine need strong CAM software
4. Tools - Fiber laser need Oxygen / Nitrogen as gas system , where as Punching machine needs tools.
What about maintenance ?
Fiber Laser machine if you have low budget small machine, its life can not be more than 5 to 8 years
Punching machine is basically a strong mechanical machine. if you have choosen right machine, it last for even more than 20 Years
Regular maintenace of laser machine is there if you use it for 24 hours. Laser source has its own life cycle.
Regular maintenance of punching machine is also there but its relatively less than Fiber Laser
FIber Laser is relatively new technology and one has to see options of maintenance person in his region before choosing any Fiber laser blindly. Same applicable to punching but with less restriction.
Operating
Fiber Laser operating is relatively much easier than Punching machine
Punching machine required more manpower to brake the joints after punching operation done, laser machine has not this limitation.