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Industry Applications

Laser Cutting

2022-12-14

Different auxiliary gases are used for laser cutting machine to cut different materials. Common auxiliary gases are: air, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes argon. For example, the purity of oxygen for cutting carbon steel is generally 99.5% or higher. Its main function is to support combustion and blow off the cut melt. The pressure and required flow rate of auxiliary gas are different with the thickness of cutting material. The pressure and flow of laser cutting machine manufacturers are different, which is closely related to the model and size of cutting nozzle and the thickness of cutting material.

 

Auxiliary gas should be used by laser cutting machine in processing products. The auxiliary gas is mainly used in the laser generator to produce laser gas; Compressed air is generally used to protect the light path, and the auxiliary gas is the gas sprayed from the cutting nozzle of the cutting machine. The auxiliary gas of metal laser cutting machine is used to support combustion and heat dissipation, timely blow off the molten stains produced by cutting, prevent the cutting molten stains from rebounding upward into the nozzle, and protect the focusing lens.

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Nitrogen is used to cut stainless steel, which is used to eliminate oxidation reaction and blow off melt. There are high requirements for the purity of nitrogen (especially for stainless steel above 8mm, it is generally required to reach 99.999%) and the pressure is relatively high. Generally, it is required to be above 1MPa. If stainless steel above 12mm or thicker to 25mm is to be cut, it is required to be higher, above 2MPa or higher. In terms of cost, oxygen for cutting carbon steel is relatively cheap, and the amount of nitrogen used for cutting carbon steel is very large. The thicker stainless steel requires high amount of nitrogen and purity, and the cost is very high.

 

1. Compressed air for cutting shielding gas by metal laser cutting machine

Compressed air mainly acts on the lens of the laser cutting machine head. If it contains oil or water, it is bound to pollute the lens. In serious cases, it will reflect the laser and burn out the precision lens, focusing lens and laser head. Therefore, the quality of compressed air is also an important factor affecting the quality of laser cutting final formed parts.

 

2.Nitrogen for cutting shielding gas by metal laser cutting machine

Nitrogen is an inert gas, which can well protect the laser cutting surface, but because it is isolated from oxygen, the processing efficiency is reduced.

 

3.Oxygen for cutting shielding gas by metal laser cutting machine

Oxygen can support combustion, but due to the strong oxidation of high-purity oxygen, the cutting surface will be blackened and the hardness will increase, which is commonly known as "coke". Therefore, the air with the proportion of oxygen and nitrogen about "37" has become the best choice for laser cutting in ordinary processing.

 

4.Argon gas for cutting shielding gas by metal laser cutting machine

Argon, like nitrogen, is an inert gas, which can also prevent oxidation and nitriding in laser cutting. Generally, argon is not cost-effective for ordinary laser cutting. Argon cutting is mainly used for titanium and titanium alloys.

 

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