What is the best method for cutting laminated metal plates?
When cutting laminated metal plates, it is recommended to use a fiber laser with nitrogen assistance and a dedicated laser grade protective film to achieve the best results. At the same time, the cutting speed and heat input should be balanced according to the finely adjusted process parameter diagram. This scheme can effectively suppress thermal effects, even on alloy surfaces with strong reflectivity, achieving the ideal effect of clean and sharp cutting edges and bright surface of the board.
Deeper look at the workflow
1. Match film to power
Standard PVC film softens at 120 °C. The plume near a 6 kW fiber laser goes far above that.
2. Control the heat triangle
Power, speed, and focus form a triangle. Change one side and the others shift. I log every run in a simple grid:
3. Gas makes or breaks finish
Air adds oxygen. Oxygen gives a faster cut but a burnt rim. Nitrogen is my default at 1.5 MPa. When a job allows oxidation, I save money and swap in air, but never with protective film.
4. Post‑cut sanity checks
I teach operators to do a “three‑point rub” on the film right after cut. If they feel bubbles or wrinkles, we stop the batch, dial back 5 % power, and run again. This minute saved me hours of grinding later.
Why the method works
The film blocks dust from the polished face. The nitrogen blocks oxide from the edge. The lower heat stops the glue from bubbling.
What is the best tool for cutting sheet metal?
Drill deeper into each option
1. Mechanical shears
They leave burrs. They distort thin stock. The capital cost is low, but hand‑deburring steals time.
2. Plasma
Good for thick mild steel. Bad for reflective metals. Plasma injects about 8 kW of heat, so film curls and flakes. Rework soars.
3. Waterjet
Near‑perfect edge at the cost of wet parts and high garnet bills. Film adhesive often softens in water and leaves smears.
4. Fiber laser—my daily choice
How to cut thin strips of sheet metal?
Thin strips wobble, jam, and drop into the scrap chute. I once bent a thousand aluminum spacers and paid overtime to fix them.
Clamp with vacuum, program micro‑tabs, reduce exit speed, and keep a honeycomb table under the cut. These four steps hold the strip straight and stop twist.
Digging below the surface
1. Vacuum plus pins
Film reduces surface friction. I drill extra 4 mm holes in the honeycomb under narrow parts and add retractable pins at start points. The sheet stays flat; pins drop after pierce.
2. Micro‑tabs—the quiet heroes
Tiny 0.2 mm webs keep the strip in place. They break with finger pressure later. No flying pieces, no lens hits.
3. Controlled exit
Full speed at exit flings a hot part. I code a 10 % ramp‑down on the last 10 mm. That alone cut edge nicks by half.
4. Honeycomb care
Ash melts into the cells. Every Friday, we flip and grind the table to keep airflow even. A clogged table makes strips lift; a clean one locks them down.
Which tool is used for cutting thin sheets of metal?
A low‑power fiber laser fitted with a 50 mm fine‑focus lens and short pulse control slices 0.1 mm foils clean, quiet, and cool.
Deeper technical dive
1. Optics matter
A 50 mm lens shrinks the spot to 20 µm. Energy density rises, so I can drop average power and still pierce in 0.02 s.
2. Pulse width control
Continuous wave floods heat. I switch to 2 µs pulses at 200 kHz. Heat stays local; film stays cool. Dross is almost zero.
3. Assist gas tweak
Pure nitrogen at 0.8 MPa is enough. Higher pressure risks blowing the foil upward. For copper, I add 1 % hydrogen to stop oxide spots.
4. Real‑world test set
