5 differences between CO2 laser cutting machine and fiber laser cutting machine

Fiber laser cutting machine is also one of the most commonly used laser cutting machines. Unlike the gas laser tube and light transmission of CO2 laser machine, fiber laser cutting machine uses fiber laser and cable to transmit laser beam. The wavelength of fiber laser beam is only 1/10 of the wavelength produced by CO2 laser. So compared with CO2 laser cutting machine, fiber laser cutting machine has better consistency and reliability, and can process more delicate patterns. The main differences between CO2 laser cutting machine and fiber laser cutting machine are as follows.

1. Laser

CO2 laser engraving machine uses CO2 laser tube to generate laser beam. The working fluid is mainly CO2, and O2, He, Xe, etc. are auxiliary gases. The CO2 laser beam is reflected and focused to the laser cutting head by the reflection and focusing lens. The fiber laser cutting machine generates a laser beam through multiple diode pumps. The laser beam is then transmitted to the laser cutting head through a flexible fiber optic cable.

2. Processing materials

The beam wavelength of the CO2 laser is 10.64um, which is more easily absorbed by non-metallic materials. However, the beam wavelength of the fiber laser is 1.064um, which is 10 times shorter. Due to this smaller focal length, the intensity of the fiber laser cutting machine is almost 100 times higher than that of the CO2 laser cutting machine with the same power output. So the fiber laser cutting machine is very suitable for cutting metal materials.

The CO2 laser engraving machine can cut and engrave metal materials with low efficiency. So CO2 laser machines are mainly used for cutting and engraving non-metallic materials. For example, wood, acrylic, paper, leather, fabric, etc.

Fiber laser cutting machines, also known as metal laser cutting machines, are mainly aimed at metal materials. For example, stainless steel, carbon steel, galvanized steel, copper, aluminum, etc.

3. Production cost

CO2 acrylic laser cutting machines consume a lot of gas when working. But its photoelectric conversion rate is only 8% to 10%. Fiber laser cutting machines consume less other gas during processing, and the photoelectric conversion rate can reach 25%-30%. So fiber laser cutting machines are more energy-efficient than CO2 laser cutting machines.

4. Maintenance cost

The CO2 laser tube has a complex structure, and the optical lens is fragile and expensive. Replacing these consumables requires a lot of money. Therefore, the maintenance cost of the CO2 laser cutting machine is very high.

Fiber laser cutting is basically maintenance-free and has fewer wearing parts. It can withstand harsh working environments and has high tolerance to dust, shock, impact, humidity and temperature. Therefore, the maintenance cost of the fiber laser cutting machine is low.

5. Cutting efficiency

The CO2 laser engraving machine has a large beam divergence during processing and is not suitable for large-size processing. Although the cutting seam is relatively small, the speed is very slow when processing thick plates.

The characteristics of the fiber laser cutting machine are high laser beam density, high intensity, high brightness and high conversion rate. For thin plate processing, the cutting speed of the fiber laser cutting machine is 2-3 times higher than that of the CO2 laser cutting machine of the same power.

Related articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of CO2 laser cutting machine and its application

Five differences between CO2 laser cutting machine and fiber laser cutting machine

Factors affecting the price of CO2 laser cutting machine