Traditionally many companies would use CNC punches to cut their sheet metal. While this form of cutting still has its place in the industry, laser-cut metal is becoming more and more popular.
Laser cutting allows for a much more precise cut in sheet metals of a variety of thickness, and without the physical force of the CNC punch, laser-cut metals have very little distortion or disfiguration along the cut. Even with the stronger and sharper CNC punches the stress on the metal sheeting will lead to some deformation in the metal, and the thicker the sheet is the worse this will be.
Benefits Of Laser Cutting
There are a number of pros to using metal cutting lasers. Other than the lack of force leading to smoother edges, laser cut metal is a great way to maximise the amount of sheet used and minimise your waste. This is due to the fact that the cuts can be made much closer to each other than with a CNC punch.
Laser cutting also reduces the amount of surface area that is heated during the process and this helps to preserve the integrity of the material.
Popular Uses
Some of the more popular ways to use lasers are for making sheet metal tags, baskets, cut out parts and engravings.
Many manufacturing companies use wire mesh laser-cut metal baskets for handling, washing and sorting, and the metal tags are often used to distinguish baskets that look similar to one another. Metal cutouts are used for small flat parts after being cut from larger sheets of metals, while engraving is often used when a manufacturer wants to leave a distinctive mark on their finished products.
If you would like more information on laser-cut metal, Steelmor is one of the leading steel manufacturers in South Africa.
