From Fiction to Reality: Laser Cutting Technology Has Entered the Shipbuilding Industry

Laser cutting is a type of metal processing. In industry, there are three main cutting methods: mechanical cutting, thermal cutting, and a set of high-precision cutting methods. Laser technology belongs to the third category. The cutting in this method occurs due to the influence of the laser beam on the product. In fact, it is the molten metal produced by rapid pulse point melting and then blowing. Due to the instantaneous generation of these pulses, the output is continuous and uniform cutting.

In the novel "Engineer Galin's Bisurface", there is a scene where the protagonist uses a laser to cut a huge tank. In the book, this is fictional. Now, this fantasy has become a reality: lasers can cut very thick metals.

There is a viewpoint that laser cutting is only faster and more economical for thin metals. For larger thicknesses, it is best to still use plasma. This is an outdated bias. Modern lasers can cut steel from 25 millimeters, thanks to equipment manufacturers significantly increasing the power of machine tools in recent years. If the earlier standard value was considered 3-6 kW, then 50 kW is now a fairly average power. In Russia, approximately 20 kW is still considered standard, but this is quite significant. And this leap occurred within just 3-4 years.

Laser can cut any alloy of metal and work at a relatively high speed. When using plasma or gas plasma cutting, a large amount of electricity is consumed, more different consumables are required, the edges are often uneven, and the process itself requires many times more time. Laser technology has higher efficiency. They accelerated this process and reduced the cutting cost of one meter by 10-20 times.

The second area of using laser technology is product production. For example, to assemble a ship, complex contours must be handled. Plasma cutting or drilling machines can also be used for drilling, milling, and further processing.

To speed up and improve such processes, you can use a laser pipe cutting machine. The raw material is handed over to the machine, and the output is finished parts. In addition, a workpiece can manufacture 10 different parts simultaneously. This is a fully automated process.

Source: Laser Net