All You Wanted to Know About Air-assisted Laser Cutting

1
All You Wanted to Know About Air-assisted Laser
Cutting
If you work in the field of laser cutting metals,
you might be familiar with the term named Assist
Gas. You must also be aware that Oxygen and
nitrogen are the two most commonly used assist
gases and they are a very cost-effective
option. But how do you find out if air-assist
laser cutting is right for you? Given below are
some useful insights on the same. The working of
air-assisted laser cutting CO2 and fiber lasers
do not just depend on light beam for cutting
metals. In order to supplement the procedure,
assist gas is injected through the nozzle.
Thereafter, exothermic reaction occurs as a part
of which energy is released through light or
heat. Heat can be transferred more effectively
when nitrogen, air or oxygen are injected and
merged with the
beam.
2
When the concept of air-assisted laser cutting
was introduced, oxygen was the most popularly
used gas. But after few years, it was observed
that Nitrogen helps to provide a cleaner cut on
metals as compared to oxygen. These days, the air
that is used consists of 80 nitrogen and 20
oxygen diluted. So whenever aesthetics and edge
quality are crucial, this combination of gases
helps a lot. Of course, the laser spare parts
have to be of superior quality.
Benefits of air-assisted laser cutting Air-assist
cutting might be a new term for some metal
fabricators but it has been around for 2 decades
now. The
research and development for this process started
in the year
3
1998. When compressed air was introduced for CO2
lasers, mode quality was a problem. But over the
years several changes were made. And today,
air-assist is one of the most popular methods
used for cutting different metals. It also offers
a better return on investment for fabricators who
use fiber lasers or are into cutting stainless
steel. The extreme heat produced by fiber lasers
when combined with injected air can create cuts
without oxide formation lessening the amount of
secondary cleanup operations.
Is it a good method for you? Of course it is!
But it also depends on the industry you work in
or the kind of metal fabrication jobs you
undertake. If
good finishing and clean edge are important to
your
4
customers, make sure that the proportion of
Nitrogen is 80. It will prevent any type of
oxidization or chemical reaction occurring to the
metal while the cutting job is being undertaken.
Also, switching your laser cutting operation to
air can prove to be quite cost-effective. Analyze
the kind of laser cutting machine you use, the
type of laser cutting parts that are a part of
it and the number of cutting jobs you do. This
will give you a better idea as to if it is worth
investing or not. Investigate about the number
of fabricators that have employed air-assisted
laser cutting technique and try to know about its
pros and cons. Also try to research about this
technique to have a better idea about its
implementation. About The Author Steve M
Glassner is the General manager of Alternative
Parts Inc, the leading manufacturer and
distributor of various Amada machine parts
including LVD Strippit laser spare parts and
consumables. Steve is a Machine Tools industry
enthusiast and frequently writes about various
aspects of the industry.