Laser cutting mild steel
Trumpf 3030 3KW fiber laser cutter cutting mild steel light fitting chassis gear trays, look below for the laser cutting program and final parts.
Fast Tube by Casper
Laser cutting control of nest
The information needed to drive the laser cutting head over the metal sheet surface is all produced away from the laser cutting machine. We use Radan sheet metal software to draft out each part to the correct size with all its internal and external profile details. We then fill the sheet with these parts in order to get the best possible use of the sheet metal, saving material costs and laser cutting time. The final laser cutting nest is then saved onto our company computer network ready for the time when the components are needed. The laser cutter setter only has to call down the correct program nest, select the correct cutting head nozzle and then cut the material. Even the correct assist gas needed at the head, whether it’s nitrogen, oxygen or compressed air is embedded into the CNC program data making setting the laser cutter very easy.
Laser cut completed sheet
If you click on the image here of the laser cut sheet to get a enhanced view you will see that we have used a technique called common line cutting to butt to parts together reducing the amount of sheet needed, laser cutting time, gas and electricity. There also a good view of the parts nested together . Radan sheet metal software is very good at rotating parts with irregular external profiles to find the best fit on the sheet to improve the sheet metal component yield. The laser cut parts can easily be lifted by hand from the sheet metal nest with the scrap skeleton being simply folded up and put in the scrap bin ready for recycling.
Finished laser cut components
The final mild steel components can be sent direct to our CNC bending section without the need for any edge deburing as the surface cut on these mild steel parts cut with oxygen is perfect. Any surface oxidisation will be removed from these gear trays by the zinc plating treatment they go through before finally being sent to the customer.
For more information on cutting sheet metal work with a fibre laser cutter or how we get the best from a metal sheet with Radan software please just give our friendly engineering team a call on 01489 577786 for more help with your sheet metal work project.