A laser cutting machine is a new type of equipment that uses a laser beam to cut metal materials. Compared with traditional water cutting , sawing, mechanical cutting, oxygen acetylene cutting torch, plasma cutting , and other metal processing methods, laser cutting is more precise, more flexible, larger in output, more environmentally friendly, and more energy-saving. With the development of laser technology, the power of laser sources has gradually increased, its functions have gradually increased, and the price of the machine has become more affordable. In recent years, the market for laser metal cutting machines has gradually increased, and more and more customers are choosing to use laser cutting machines to replace outdated machines to cut metal materials and elevate processing efficiency. So how to choose a laser cutting machine?GWEIKE, as a professional manufacturer with 19 years of experience in the production and sales of laser cutting machines, has listed some tips for you to choose a laser metal cutting machine. We hope we can help you choose a suitable metal laser metal cutting machine.

1. Clarify demands

Before choosing a suitable laser metal cutting machine, you must first clarify the type, thickness, and size of the metal materials you often need to cut, because these are the most important factors that affect your choice of cutting machine. In addition, the amount of cutting material and the required accuracy of processing materials are also important factors that affect the selection of laser cutting machines. Generally speaking, the more materials that need to be processed and the higher the accuracy requirements for the processed materials, the higher the quality requirements for the machine, and the higher the price of the machine will be.

2. Determine the format of the cutting machine first

After confirming the needs, we can first confirm the format of the cutting machine according to the size of the metal material that needs to be cut, and then select the laser cutting machine by selecting the appropriate cutting format. Once the format of the laser metal cutting machine is determined, you can greatly narrow the selection of laser cutting machines and save a lot of time selecting laser machines. If you need to process workpieces in batches, we recommend you try to choose a large cutting format. Because it takes a certain amount of time to replace the metal plates. Large-format machines can place more plates at one time, which reduces the time to replace the plates. You can produce more workpieces in a fixed amount of time. In addition, if the space and budget are sufficient, we recommend that you choose a dual-platform machine, which is more efficient. You can change the cutting material on another platform while the laser cutting machine is cutting the plate on one platform. This kind of platform saves the time of changing materials and greatly improves cutting efficiency.

(The picture below is GWEIKE's dual-platform laser metal cutting machine LF3015GA. It can complete the exchange of platforms within 15 seconds, greatly improving the cutting efficiency.)

3. Pay attention to the power and brand of the laser source

The laser source is the core component of the laser metal cutting machine. The power of the laser source determines the maximum thickness of the metal material that the entire laser cutting machine can cut. At the same time, the laser source is also an important factor that determines the cutting speed and cutting quality of the entire machine. The higher the laser source power of a laser cutting machine, the better the quality, the faster the machine's cutting speed, and the better the cutting quality. When choosing a laser metal cutting machine, you can send the material and thickness you need to cut to the sales staff and let them help you choose a suitable laser source. In addition, the quality of a laser source also largely determines the service life and experience of the machine. Therefore, choosing a laser brand with good quality and service is very important for a laser metal cutting machine. At present, due to the continuous development of the laser industry, the production threshold of laser sources has been lowered. Some small manufacturers have also begun to produce laser sources. The quality and after-sales service are difficult to guarantee. We recommend that you choose some big brand lasers such as IPG, RAYCUS, MAX, RECI, etc. They have rich laser production experience and a professional after-sales team that can guarantee product quality and after-sales service.

(The picture below is a picture of a commonly used IPG laser source)

4. Pay attention to the performance of the laser cutting head

The laser cutting head is a component used to process the laser beam emitted by the laser source and output the laser beam for material cutting. It directly determines the quality of laser cutting, so a good laser cutting head is very important for a laser metal cutting machine. Generally speaking, we recommend choosing a laser cutting head based on whether it has an automatic focusing function, the power of the laser source, compatibility with the laser source, dust resistance, and whether it can cut highly reflective materials. The cutting head with auto-focus can adjust the focus faster and more accurately, saving more time and improving cutting efficiency when cutting different thicknesses and materials. High-power lasers generate a lot of energy and may damage the laser cutting head. In this case, a high-performance laser head needs to be selected based on the power of the laser to process the light emitted by the laser head. Since the manufacturers of laser source and laser heads are generally different, you should pay attention to the compatibility of the laser cutting head when choosing a laser metal cutting machine. Regarding sealing, as a precision optical instrument, the sealing of the laser cutting head is particularly important. If dust enters the laser cutting head, it is likely to cause damage to the laser cutting head and the laser source. Therefore, when selecting a laser cutting head, the sealing of the laser head is an element that cannot be ignored. In addition, the type of cutting material also has a great influence on the type of cutting head selected. If you need to frequently cut highly reflective metal materials such as aluminum, copper, and gold, it is recommended to choose a special cutting head. This type of cutting head is more expensive, but the cutting effect is better.

(The picture below is a picture of a common laser-cutting head)

5. Confirm cutting accuracy

Generally, the manufacturer has already assembled the machine, so when you receive the shipment, check that the package is not broken and that the machine is complete.
Read the instruction manual carefully, then follow the operating instructions to commission the machine.

What affects the quality of bending

Generally speaking, the accuracy of laser cutting machines is very high. The accuracy of fiber laser cutting machines is within ±0.03mm, which can be suitable for processing most workpieces. But if you need to process particularly precise workpieces, you must pay attention to the accuracy of the laser cutting machine. The accuracy of the laser cutting machine is generally reflected in the repeat positioning accuracy (as shown in the picture below). The smaller the value, the higher the accuracy of the machine. In addition, you can judge the cutting accuracy of a machine from its accessories. The accuracy of a laser cutting machine equipped with a rack is higher than that of a laser cutting machine equipped with a ball screw. The better the rack, the higher the cutting accuracy of the entire machine. Besides, the laser metal cutting machine equipped with a reducer has better-cutting accuracy.

6. Choose a laser metal cutting machine with fast cutting speed

The speed of the laser metal cutting machine has a direct impact on production efficiency. The faster the cutting speed of the laser metal cutting machine, the more products can be produced per unit of time. Generally speaking, the factors that affect the cutting machine mainly include the laser, motor power, and the transmission mode of the machine. The impact of lasers on cutting speed has been explained in the section on laser selection. Now we mainly talk about the impact of motor and machine transmission methods on cutting speed. The movement of the cutting head of the laser cutting machine needs to be driven by a motor fixed on the beam (the picture below marks the position of the motor in the laser metal cutting machine), so the greater the motor power of the laser metal cutting machine, the faster the cutting speed of the laser cutting machine will be. In addition, you can also judge the efficiency of a laser cutting machine by its acceleration. The faster the acceleration, the faster the laser head moves per unit time. The shorter the time required to reach the maximum speed, the higher the cutting efficiency. In addition, the moving speed of the laser cutting head has a lot to do with the transmission mode of the whole machine. The precision and speed of rack-driven machines are better than those of ball screw-driven machines. When choosing a laser metal cutting machine, try to choose rack-driven machines.

7. Pay attention to the operability and functionality of the software

If the laser source is the heart of the laser cutting machine, then the software of the laser cutting machine is equivalent to the brain of the entire machine. For novices, software with simple operations and full functions is easier to use. For users who need to cut materials in batches and often need to process different types of materials and handle different complex graphics, it is very important to have good software. Good cutting software can help users process graphics faster and design cutting routes, efficiently utilize cutting materials, and reduce the waste of cutting materials. When selecting a laser cutting machine, you can judge the performance of the software by confirming with the manufacturer the functions of the software, such as whether it has flying cutting, automatic typesetting, and other functions. (The picture below is the interface of CYPCUT software, an efficient software commonly used for laser cutting machines. It is calculating the path.)

8. Pay attention to confirm the safety of the machine

Safety is something that must be paid attention to when choosing a laser metal cutting machine because lasers have ultra-high energy, and if the machine does not have a safety protection system, it can easily cause serious injury to the user. So how to check the safety of a machine? Firstly, we can determine whether the product has safety certificates such as CE and FDA. If the product has safety certificates, it can prove that it has passed the safety inspection of the European Union and the United States, and its safety can be guaranteed. Secondly, we can check whether there are safety signs emergency stop buttons, and other accessories on the machine. Emergency stop buttons are very important for handling emergencies. If a machine does not have an emergency stop button, it can be said to be completely unqualified. In addition, we recommend choosing a machine with a safety cover as much as possible. This kind of machine cover can not only block the optical radiation of the laser but also help control the exhaust gas emitted when the laser cutting machine processes metal, making it more friendly to the production environment. (The picture below is a real shot of the emergency stop button and some safety signs of the GWEIKE LF3015GA model, as well as the machine’s CE and FDA certificates)

9. Confirm the strength of suppliers

When selecting a laser metal cutting machine, it is also very important to determine the overall strength of the supplier. A good supplier can guarantee the quality of the machine and service. You can determine the strength of the supplier from the following aspects: 1. Whether the supplier has its factory and the size of the factory. Generally speaking, suppliers with independent factories have faster delivery times. The larger the factory scale, the more popular the machine is, the quality of the machine will be better. If possible, it is recommended to go to the factory for an on-site inspection.2.If they have experience in producing laser cutting machines. With the continuous development of the laser industry, more and more manufacturers of other industries have entered the laser industry and want a share of the pie. However, they are not professional enough in laser cutting production and do not have expertise in product development and processing. The quality of the machine produced is difficult to guarantee due to the problem of capacity. Third, whether there is an after-sales team. The laser cutting machine is a large-scale mechanical equipment, which has a certain degree of difficulty in operation and requires professional guidance. In addition, if there is a problem, it requires professional personnel to repair it. At this time, it is particularly important to have professional personnel who can help solve the problem. Fourth, whether there are safety certificates such as CE, FDA, etc. As mentioned before, the safety of laser cutting machines is very important. In addition, in some areas, if there is no professional safety certificate, it may be detained by the customs during import customs clearance. causing unnecessary losses.

We hope the above tips can help you better choose a laser metal cutting machine. If you have any questions about choosing a laser metal cutting machine, please contact us directly. Our professional sales and engineers will provide the solutions according to your demands.