How Ultra-High-Power Fiber Lasers Are Revolutionizing Cutting

As reported by SME in their article “Ultra-High-Power Fiber Lasers Change the Competitive Landscape of Cutting,” the advent of kilowatt-level fiber lasers in the early 2000s has revolutionized the laser cutting industry. Fiber lasers have transitioned from a niche technology to a mainstream fabrication process, thanks to their ease of integration, reliability, low maintenance, and low operating costs. Over the past decade, the laser cutting market has grown by more than 10 percent annually, outpacing other cutting methods.

Recent advancements have seen the adoption of ultra-high-power (UHP) fiber lasers, ranging from 10 to 40 kW, for cutting applications. The power of laser cutting systems has dramatically increased, from 6 kW in 2016 to 40 kW in 2022. This rapid development continues, with the introduction of 50-kW fiber lasers and high-efficiency UHP lasers boasting electrical efficiencies above 50 percent, significantly reducing energy consumption for high-duty cycle applications.

Three key developments have driven the feasibility of UHP cutting: reduced cost per kilowatt of fiber lasers, the availability of cutting heads capable of handling ultra-high power, and improved application engineering knowledge. These advancements have led to significant increases in cutting speeds, thereby reducing operating costs and cost-per-part.

For instance, increasing laser power from 6 kW to 15 kW quadruples the cutting speed for most stainless steel thicknesses while maintaining the same assist gas pressure and nozzle size. This results in multiple-fold reductions in gas usage and other operating costs. UHP lasers also enable dross-free cutting of thick carbon steel and stainless steel using high-pressure air instead of more expensive nitrogen or slower oxygen cutting. Cutting speeds with air-assist gas, for example, reach over 9 m/min for 16-mm thick carbon steel with a 30-kW laser, compared to only about 2 m/min with oxygen.

When cutting 10-mm thick stainless steel with nitrogen-assist gas, the cutting speed increases from about 2 m/min at 6 kW to more than 12 m/min at 15 kW. This sixfold increase in speed drives a two- to threefold drop in cost-per-part for most designs. Furthermore, a more productive laser cutting system does not proportionally increase in cost, as the price per kilowatt decreases with higher laser power.

Ultra-high-power fiber lasers have made laser cutting more competitive compared to mechanical methods like punching, while maintaining unique advantages such as flexibility, lack of tool wear, noncontact cutting, and the ability to cut intricate designs. While punching remains advantageous for mass manufacturing of simple geometries, the fabrication industry’s demand for flexibility and high cutting speeds has shifted the cost consideration in favor of UHP laser cutting.

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Article with all rights reserved, courtesy of sme.org.