Laser cutting technology is a very useful development that has occurred over the past half-century. Also, laser cut steel is an important application of laser cutting technology. Because various steel materials are widely used in life.
A high-density laser beam irradiates onto the steel surface to melt the material at the beam spot. This helps operators to cut custom parts and shapes out from a variety of steel materials with the highest precision. The laser cut steel metal parts helps improve the smoothness and reliability of many modern machines and equipment.
This article gives the basic knowledge of laser cutting steel and recommends the best metal laser cutting machine. I hope it can be helpful for you to develop your laser cut steel designs and projects.
Can you laser cut steel?
The answer is definitely YES.
Laser cut steel has been regarded as one of the most effective and precise CNC metal cutting methods. Whether a CO2 laser cutting machine or a fiber laser cutting machine can be used for CNC metal cutting. Although both of them can cut steel materials, there is a big difference between them.
The CO2 laser machine uses a CO2 laser source. The wavelength of the CO2 laser is 10.6 microns with good stability. CO2 laser cutters can cut steel materials but the cutting thickness is thin. For example, a 130W CO2 laser cutting machine is able to cut 1mm stainless steel and 1mm carbon steel plate. The laser power under 130W is relative hard to cut through metal materials. In addition, the CO2 laser cutter shall use a metal cutting supportive laser head and probably a copper nozzle. Furthermore, the CO2 laser cutter seems a little powerless when cutting thin steel sheets. Therefore, the CO2 laser cutting machine is currently mainly for cutting and engraving non-metal materials.
Blue Elephant provides a mixed CO2 laser cutting machine to cut both metal and non-metal materials. Let’s watch the following video to see the laser cut stainless steel and carbon steel by a mixed CO2 laser cutter.
The fiber laser cutting machine adopting fiber a laser source is designed to cut various metal materials. So, it is the best choice for you to develop laser cut steel projects. Different laser powers help you cut steel plates with a wide range of thicknesses. Laser cutting steel requires the assistance of auxiliary gas. For instance, laser cut stainless steel needs the help of nitrogen, while laser cutting carbon steel requires oxygen. Blue Elephant offers multiple models of fiber metal laser cutting machines for laser cut steel plans.
Laser cut steel materials
Steel refers to an iron-carbon alloy with a carbon content of less than 2%. According to different components, the steel falls into the carbon steel and other alloy steel. In terms of properties and uses, it includes structural steel, tool steel and special performance steel. Anyway, the metal laser cutting machine can cut most types of steel materials. The most common laser cut steel materials are stainless steel and carbon steel.
Steel materials that can be cut by a fiber laser cutter mainly include:
Carbon steel: steel with a particularly high carbon content
Low-carbon steel: carbon content is lower than the carbon steel
Stainless steel: adding a small amount of chromium in the steel to create corrosion resistance
Other steel alloy: adding one or more types of other elements in the steel to increase its strength
Laser cut steel thickness
In practical CNC metal cutting, the metal laser cutting thickness is related to various factors. For example, the type and power of the laser, cutting environment, cutting speed, and the quality of the metal laser cutter. Using a suitable auxiliary gas can also improve a certain laser cutting ability. So there is no absolute value for the laser cut steel thickness.
For example, laser cutting carbon steel mainly relies on oxygen combustion. While laser cut stainless steel mainly depends on laser power. Generally, a 1000W fiber laser cutting machine can cut carbon steel plates with a thickness of about 10mm. But it’s hard to cut stainless steel plates with the same thickness. Increasing the cutting thickness may be at the expense of the cutting edge quality and the cutting speed.
Laser cut steel thickness for carbon steel and stainless steel
| Laser power | Material | Max. cutting thickness | Remarks |
| 1000W | Carbon steel | 12mm | Relatively rough grain on cut surface |
| Stainless steel | 4.5mm | Slight burrs or slags on bottom surface | |
| 1500W | Carbon steel | 14mm | Relatively rough grain on cut surface |
| Stainless steel | 5mm | Slight burrs or slags on bottom surface | |
| 2000W | Carbon steel | 16mm | Rough grain |
| Stainless steel | 12mm (O2) | Good cutting quality | |
| 4000W | Carbon steel | 25mm | High requirements for cutting conditions |
| Stainless steel | 20mm | Slight burrs or slags on bottom surface |
The above laser cutting steel sheet thickness data are theoretical values obtained under extreme cutting conditions. It is for reference only. So, the actual cutting thickness may be less than these values.
Laser cut steel machines
We recommend using a fiber laser cutting machine to cut steel sheets and tubes for mass production. It is ok to cut stainless steel and carbon steel sheets with a CO2 laser cutting machine. But the cutting thickness is small and the energy consumption is high.
Shapes of the steel materials mainly include steel sheets, pipes, and irregular-shaped steel bars. Therefore, our fiber laser cut steel machines can be simply divided into three major types for cutting sheets, pipes, and both sheets and pipes respectively.
Steel laser pipe cutting machine
The laser pipe cutting machine has a long and narrow shape, occupying a small space. It is mainly used for cutting various steel pipes and steel bars. All round, square, and rectangular steel pipes and tubes can be cut by the pipe metal laser cutter. Meanwhile, the steel laser pipe cutting machine can also cut V-, H-, L-, and U-shaped steel bars. These bars can be used for rails, metal doors and windows, construction, infrastructure, and other purposes.
The high-strength mechanical structure of the pipe metal laser cutter ensures no deformation and vibration when cutting the steel pipes. Thereby it ensures the precision of laser cutting steel sheet. In addition to the double chucks, it also has an automatic steel pipe support device. This effectively supports the long steel pipe and reduces the deformation when cutting long pipes with the metal laser cutting machine.
The optimized optical configuration and smooth and efficient airflow design improve the cutting effect. Besides, The pipe metal laser cutting machine adopts an independent control cabinet. It helps separate the strong and weak electricity, reducing circuit interference. Furthermore, it is convenient for maintenance and heat dissipation, and prevents dust and static.
The laser pipe cutting machine have multiple models and specifications for cutting pipes of different lengths and weights. You can choose one that suits your processing requirements best.
Click the following video to see how our laser pipe cutting machine cuts round and square stainless steel pipes.
Laser cut sheet metal machine
As the name suggests, the laser cut sheet metal machine mainly cuts various steel plates. For example, the sheet metal laser cutter can cut stainless steel, carbon steel, alloy steel, as well as aluminum, copper, and other metal sheets.
The specifications of the fiber laser cutting machine can be selected according to your needs. For example, table size, laser power, laser brand, protective cover, exchange worktable, etc. Generally speaking, the higher the laser power you choose, the greater the laser cut steel thickness. Correspondingly, the price of the fiber laser cutting machine will be more expensive.
This automatic worktable exchanging system realizes simultaneous loading and unloading during the laser cut steel process. The platform exchange time is about 25s-40s, which saves the loading time and reduces the manual workload.
Besides, you can also choose between automatic or manual focusing laser heads for the laser cut sheet metal machine. The automatic focusing speed can reach 10m/min, and the repeatability can reach 50 microns. In addition, the collimating protective lens adopts a dust-proof protection design to protect the internal optical components. The distance between the protective lens and the nozzle is prolonged to improve the life of the lens.
Let’s take a look at the process of a metal laser cutting machine cutting carbon steel plates. The video shows the laser cutting process of 3mm, 6mm, 16mm, and 20mm thick carbon steel plates. As shown in the video, the greater the thickness of the laser cut steel plate, the slower the laser cutting speed will be.
Sheet and tube laser cutting machine
The sheet and tube laser cutting machine is a combination of the above two laser cut steel machines. It can realize the cutting of both steel plates and steel pipes. If you need to cut steel sheets and steel pipes at the same time, this metal laser cutter is undoubtedly the best choice.
Features of this CNC laser cutting machine include auto-focusing laser head, thick wall carbon steel tube welded bed, aluminum crossbeam, etc. All features ensure a stable, precise, and safe laser cut steel process.
Laser cut steel service
Laser cutters capable of cutting metal are still too expensive for the hobbyist in this age of CNC machines. Even though you can buy low-power laser machines (less than 100W) quite cheaply, they will hardly scratch metal surfaces.
A metal laser cutting machine shall use laser power at least 300W, which may cost you no less than $10000. Besides, laser cut steel requires the assistance of auxiliary gases, which will incur additional costs.
The other trouble to have a CNC laser cutting machine is its size. Most metal laser cutting machines require a shop or room to settle down.
Therefore, you can check the metal laser cutting service if you can’t afford an expensive fiber laser cutting machine for the moment. Besides, if you only need a metal laser cutting project once, you can also choose the metal laser cutting service.
There are now many online and offline metal laser cutting service providers. They specialize in cutting services for all kinds of metals. Such laser cutting services are ideal for customers who occasionally need to laser cut steel projects. However, if you are a manufacturer of steel parts, equipment, structures, etc., buying a laser cutting machine is the best option.
Laser cut steel precautions
Keep in mind that the fiber laser cutter is not a toy no matter what kind of steel you cut. Especially when cut metals, it may cause serious injury or damage to your safety and property. Many people do not understand the use of laser cutting machines, which leads to unexpected situations. Below are several precautions that you need to pay attention to in the process of laser cut steel.
1 There is rust on the steel sheet surface.
It is hard to cut through stainless steel sheets when there is rust on the surface. And the final results of processing will be poor. Besides, rust can splatter on the nozzle and damage it during the laser cut steel process. Moreover, when the nozzle is damaged, the laser beam will be offset, which deteriorates the laser cutting steel sheet accuracy. In addition, it may also damage the optical system and protection system, and may even lead to an explosion accident. Therefore, pay attention to removing the rust on the metal surface before laser cut steel.
2 There is paint on the steel sheet surface.
Sometimes there is paint on steel surfaces although it is uncommon. We need to know that a lot of paint is toxic. So laser cutting steel sheet with paint will produce toxic fumes, which are harmful to human health. Therefore, it is necessary to exhaust the fume in time during the laser cutting process.
3 Burrs occur on the cutting edge during laser cut steel.
The reasons and improvement methods are as follows:
1) The laser focus position may change. It is necessary to do a focus position test and adjust it according to the offset of the laser focus.
2) Insufficient laser output power. Check whether the laser generator is working normally. If it is, check whether the output value of the laser control button is correct. Adjust in case of any error.
3) Too slow the cutting line speed is. Try to increase the line speed of the laser cut steel operation.
4) Impure cutting gas. Try to provide high-quality cutting working gas for the laser cut steel process.
5) Instability occurs when the metal laser cutter runs for too long. Try to reboot the laser cutting machine.
4 Fiber laser cutter fails to cut through the steel sheet.
One of the reasons is that the laser nozzle does not match the thickness of the laser cut steel. You can replace the laser nozzle, or try to cut a thinner steel plate. Or reduce the line speed if the laser cutting line speed is too fast. In addition, please regularly clean the foreign objects inside the nozzle of the laser metal cutting machine.
5 Abnormal sparks occur when laser cut low carbon steel.
This will affect the machining quality of the cutting surface of steel workpieces. At this time, we need to consider the following reasons when other parameters are normal:
1) The nozzle of the laser head is seriously worn. Please replace the nozzle.
2) In the case of no new nozzle, try to increase the gas pressure of the cutting work.
3) If the thread at the connection between the nozzle and the laser head is loose, stop cutting immediately. Check the connection of the laser head.
Furthermore, there are many other problems that you may encounter during laser cutting process, such as material deformation, discoloration, etc. We have given some preliminary solutions in the previous article Factors Affecting Laser Cutting Quality. You can read this article to see if it helps.
Conclusion
Laser cut steel is a major application of the laser cutting technology in the sheet metal industry. Of course, like all technologies, laser cutting is an ever-evolving field, which means it will never be perfect. There are always obstacles and limitations to overcome.
Laser power, focal length, and cutting speed all have an important impact on the quality of laser cut steel. Therefore, you need to know enough about the laser cutting machine and the steel material before starting the laser cut steel projects.
A laser metal cutting machine comes in a variety of models and configurations. We can also customize the machine according to your needs. We will do our best to meet your laser cut steel requirements and help you realize your laser cut steel plans.
