Laser cutting is to focus the laser emitted from the laser into a high-power density laser beam through the optical path system. The laser cutting machine needs a gas source as power when working, and it is a pressurized gas source. The pressure generally needs to be 10 to 16 kilograms. The laser beam irradiates the surface of the workpiece, so that the workpiece reaches the melting point or boiling point. At the same time, the high-pressure gas coaxial with the beam blows away the molten or vaporized metal.
Features of laser cutting machine
1. Fast cutting speed, smooth and flat incision, no burrs;
2. Narrow cutting, small deformation, and no hardening of the cutting surface material;
3. High processing accuracy and good repeatability;
4. Simple CNC programming, wide processing range, no need to open molds, economical and time-saving;
Types of auxiliary gas sources
1. Nitrogen: Generally used as an auxiliary gas source for processing precious metals or very high processing requirements;
2. Oxygen: The strong oxidizing property of high-purity oxygen will cause the cutting surface to turn black and increase hardness, commonly known as "burning";
3. Compressed air: The processing range is wide. Air itself contains about 20% oxygen in the atmosphere, so it can make up for the lack of oxygen and nitrogen to a certain extent.
Cost of gas source
Since the cost of nitrogen and oxygen is higher than that of compressed air, and the prices of nitrogen and oxygen are rising year by year, using air as cutting auxiliary gas can greatly reduce the production cost by about half.
Function of high-pressure gas source
1. Cooling prevents the material from hardening, that is, heat treatment;
2. The air pressure blows off the molten metal slag to prevent dust from clogging the laser nozzle, protecting and extending its service life;
Requirements for compressed gas source of laser cutting machine
Laser cutting machine has relatively high requirements for compressed gas source, requiring that the gas source cannot contain water and oil. Generally, users are equipped with four-stage filtration or even five-stage filtration to better protect the service life of the laser cutting machine. If the gas source entering the cutting head contains water and oil, it will cause fogging of the protective lens in a short time, affecting the cutting quality. At this time, if the protective lens is not replaced in time, the internal temperature of the cutting head may rise under the irradiation of high-power beam, causing damage to the internal lens group.
Post-processing installation layout
1. The compressor is close to the laser cutting machine, and the cold dryer filters are connected in sequence;
2. The compressor is far away from the laser cutting machine, and two filters are installed at the terminal to handle the residual water and oil in the long-distance pipeline;
