Getting Precision Cuts On Steel Or Other Materials
Cutting metals and other materials often requires tight tolerance, and in some cases, the material can be challenging to work with. One of the best ways to make precise cuts on these materials is to use laser cutting from a service provider with the proper equipment.
Laser Cutting
There are a lot of ways to cut materials like steel or high-density materials, but when you need precision cuts or cuts that are repeated on several different pieces of material, laser cutting is one solution that can achieve those goals for you. Professional laser cutting equipment often uses a CNC or computer numeric control system to align the cutter on three axes.
The CNC system can make adjustments in millimeters or even smaller units of measurement, so when the cut needs to follow a specific pattern or make a critical turn, the system makes that possible when cutting by hand would not. The level of precision is different from machines, so talk to the shop about the equipment they are using and the cuts you need.
Heavy Material
Another reason to consider laser cutting is the thickness of the material you are cutting. Traditional steel cutting may use a plasma cutter or an oxyacetylene torch, but when the material you are working with is exceptionally thick, you may need more heat to cut through it.
Large laser cutting units can often cut through four or more inches of steel, and it can still do it with the precision that is hard to find in any other system. Using laser cutting for thick materials like aluminum or plastics may also offer the benefits of the accuracy that is seen in metal cutting, but with the ability to change the output wattage of the laser, the operator can make the cuts without damaging or deforming the material.
Cutting Programs and Volume Repeatability
Laser cutting is often used by companies that are making products that need parts cut over and over again and be the same every time. Once the program for the CNC cutting machine is set up, the laser can make the cuts multiple times an hour and produce a part that will meet the needs of the manufacturer in much higher volume than traditional methods.
Setting up laser cutting in-house is often beneficial for large companies, but there are laser cutting services that can do the work for you if you only need a few cuts or for small businesses that do not have the budget for setting up laser cutting in-house.
To learn more, reach out to a local laser cutting service.
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