Several important factors affecting the cutting quality in sheet metal processing are:

I. Alloy composition

      The alloy composition affects the strength, specific gravity, weldability, oxidation resistance and acidity of the material to a certain extent. Some important elements in iron alloy materials are carbon, chromium, nickel, magnesium, and zinc.

      The higher the carbon content, the harder the material is to cut (the critical value is considered to be 0.8% carbon). The following models of carbon steel work well with laser cutting: St 37-2, StW 22, DIN 1.203.

Second, the basic microstructure of the material

      In general, the finer the particles that make up the material, the better the cutting edge quality.

Third, the surface quality and roughness.

      If there are rusted areas or oxide layers on the surface, the cut contour will be irregular and there will be many broken points; to cut the corrugated board, select the maximum thickness cutting parameter.

Fourth, surface treatment

      The most commonly used surface treatments are galvanized, painted, anodized or covered with laminated plastic film. Plates treated with zinc are prone to drossing at the edges. For painted boards, the cutting quality depends on the composition of the product being coated.

      Sheets with a layered material coating are ideal for laser cutting. In order for the capacitive detection to work without problems and for optimal adhesion of the layered coating (avoiding blistering), the layered edge must always be on the upper part of the cutting workpiece.

Five, beam reflection

      How the beam is reflected on the workpiece surface depends on the basic material, surface roughness, and processing method. Some aluminum alloy, copper, brass and stainless steel plates have high reflectivity characteristics. When cutting these materials, pay special attention to adjusting the focus position.

Six, thermal conductivity

      When welding, materials with low thermal conductivity require less power than materials with high thermal conductivity. For example, for chromium-nickel alloy steel, the power required is less than that of structural steel, and the heat absorption generated by processing is also less. Another example is copper, aluminum and brass. When welding these materials, a large part of the heat generated by the absorbed laser is lost. Because the heat is conducted away from the beam target point, the material in the heat affected zone is more difficult to melt.

Seven, heat affected zone

      Laser flame cutting and laser melting cutting cause material variation in the edge area of the cutting material. Regarding the relationship between the range of the heat affected zone and the thickness of the basic material, Table 1 lists some reference values.

      The above are several important factors that affect the quality of sheet metal cutting. As long as these aspects are done well, it is easy to do good sheet metal processing.

Sheet metal processing