Modern industry today is run utilising a group of machines that keep things going and are integral at supplying us with the things we need to make modern life wonderful. These machines are used for various jobs and collectively they get the entire job done.

Some of the most important machines needed in industry are the cutting machines that help to break things down and create parts that can be used for construction of item.

There are several types of cutting machines on the market and each has its own specific attributes. The most popular types of cutting machines are waterjet cutters, plasma cutters, and laser cutters. These three types of laser cutters are the most advanced in industry today and have been constantly upgraded for more precision, speed and an ability to cut through today’s most exotic materials.

Laser Cutters

Laser cutters utilise sophisticated software to control concentrated light to cut through a variety of materials including hard metals. Their use began more than forty years ago when lasers were harnessed for cutting. As time has gone on, laser cutters have become more refined, more accurate, and their costs have dropped considerably.

Fiber Laser Cutters

The newest and best versions of laser cutters today are called fiber laser cutters which utilizes an optical fiber as an active gain medium. The laser utilizes rare earth elements such asholmium, dysprosium, thulium erbium, ytterbium, and others allowing the laser to be more accurate and burn hotter and offer a better quality cut.

Fiber laser cutting machines have replaced older CO2 machines because of their added benefits.Fiber lasers can cut metals, particularly copper, brass and aluminum much better and more safely than CO2 because the beam is more readily absorbed and not reflected. They also have a range of uses including: engraving, marking, cutting drilling and cleaning.

In terms of money savings, the operating costs for fiber lasers operating costs is usually half of what a CO2 system will cost. This is primarily due to lower electrical consumption and higher electrical efficiency of fiber lasers.

The advantages of fiber lasers over other types include:

• High Output Power: With an ability to have active regions several kilometers long, fiber lasers can provide very high optical gain. Their high surface area also allows for effective cooling.
• Reduced or Eliminated Thermal Distortion: This leads to a higher quality optical beam and cleaner cuts
• Small Size: Compared with gas or rod lasers, fiber lasers are Fiber lasers have comparable power but are more compact.
• Extremely Reliable: Fiber lasers are often called maintenance free because of their low downtimes and high reliability.
• Good for Marking and Engraving – Fiber lasers have high peak power and nanosecond pulses which make them great for engraving and marking materials.
• Great for laser welding, folding, and cutting of metals and polymers: This is because light is already coupled into a flexible fiber.
• Cleaner Edges: Fiber lasers have higher power output allowing them to deliver cleaner edge cuts.
• Better Beam Quality: Means faster cutting speeds.

Fiber lasers come in a range of power levels and depending upon your needs can be an excellent choice for your cutting needs.