CNC Laser Cutting Machines

A CNC laser cutting machine focuses a laser beam through a nozzle onto sheet or plate and melts a narrow kerf, while an assist gas blows the molten metal out. Flat-bed machines cut sheet lying on a slatted table. Tube lasers rotate and feed tube and profile, and some machines do both. The laser source is either fiber, which couples well into steel, stainless steel, aluminium, copper and brass, or the older CO2 design.

The laser's strength is speed and edge quality on thin and medium sheet, with no tool wear and no tooling to change between parts. It is a thermal process, so it leaves a narrow heat-affected edge. Plasma cutting handles thick plate at lower precision. Waterjet cutting works without heat and through almost any material, more slowly. For sheet parts with many identical holes or formed features, a punch press can be the faster route, and cut blanks usually go on to a press brake.

Compare the laser power together with the maximum sheet thickness the maker lists for each material, since the two belong together. The working area must match the sheet formats in use. Positioning speed and acceleration decide throughput on thin sheet. Look at the pallet changer and at loading and unloading automation, because a fast laser spends much of its time waiting for material.