Laser Cutting 6.25mm Thick Aluminum

Laser Cutting Application:

Having received 6.25mm thick aluminum 5052 sample materials from a customer for laser cutting, the application engineers here at Laser Photonics used a 2kW CW fiber laser (1060nm) to make the cuts per the customers’ requirements. During this process, the application engineers also attempted to cut 1/8'' copper with the same 2kW laser.

Using a 2kW CW fiber laser equipped with a focal length lens of 9 inches and operating the system at 90% power, the samples were cut 10mm/second in one pass. The laser system used Nitrogen for assist gas. The assist gas pressure was 280~300PSI. The nozzle diameter was 1.4mm and the nozzle standoff: 0.5mm.

Following the completion of the cutting applications, Laser Photonics application engineers recommended the Titan cutting machine equipped with a focusing lens of 9 inches and a CW fiber laser (1060nm), 2kW for ¼” steel and aluminum. Should the customer desire to cut 1/8” copper, the recommendations are for a laser that is 5kW and up because it was not possible to cut through the copper as it requires a more powerful laser.