Well here is our brand new Trumpf 3030 fiber laser machine cutting zintec coated mild steel sheet metal plates. We knew that the laser cutting would be great for cutting out complex sheet metal shapes with complicated internal and external profiles that had to be CNC nibbled before on our punch presses. We also knew that the laser cutter would be much better at processing thicker material than we could CNC punch as we had already started to outsource laser cutting. What we didn’t factor in was the speed it can produce simple parts in thin sheet metal gauges and so clean that many deburring operations can be eliminated.
Fast Tube by Casper
These zintec parts are being laser cut simply using compressed air as the assist gas and being allowed to fall through the bed and onto a conveyor that runs under the machine. The parts are then collected in a tray and simple picked up at the end of the laser cutting operation. Using compressed air on thin gauge zintec parts is perfect as it produces a clean edge cut and is cheaper than using either oxygen or nitrogen as the assist gas.
If you have any sheet metal projects that you might be thinking of having laser cut or CNC punched and you are not sure which way to go why not let us take a look at your ideas and advise you on the best method of production for you.