How To Tell That Laser Cutting Is The Right Fabrication Option For You

Despite being a relatively young metal fabrication solution in the industry, CNC laser cutting is very popular today. However, that still does not make it an automatic choice for your metal fabrication needs. So how do you tell if laser cutting is best for you? Well, read on below for some tips that will help you evaluate if your needs are in line with what CNC laser cutting offers.

You need detailed and complicated cutting designs

One of the things that make laser cutting a leader in the industry is its ability to cut detailed and complicated designs onto sheet metal or structural metal. A CNC machine can reproduce any computer-generated design no matter how unique or difficult it is. This is one of the main advantages of laser cutting over other tool-and-die methods. If your cutting needs involve sophisticated designs that other solutions cannot offer, laser cutting is perfect for your needs.  

You want very precise and accurate results

Another great quality about CNC laser cutting is that precision is enforced very accurately. There are a few reasons for this. One: because laser cutting utilises heat, the margin of error is virtually negligible. Metal is not wasted like in other manual methods where off-cuts must be removed while cutting. Two: laser cutters use a very thinly focused beam so cutting designs can be implemented with superb precision.  

Your products need to be safe for human handling

Most other cutting alternatives are manual in nature. That is, a die will be used to impact your metal and create the cutting design you seek. Unfortunately, these traditional methods have one handling flaw. The cut design created is left with sharp edges that have to be 'treated' if the material is to be handled by hand. With laser cutting, this is not an issue. That's because the heat process involved allows the cut area to melt and create a soft edge that is safe for human handling.

You need different cutting designs replicated in different quantities

With traditional CNC cutting techniques, dies are used to reproduce multiple designs in succession. However, for every design, there must be a die that reproduces that design. This means that if you need different designs cut into different metal pieces, then different tools will have to be used for each. With laser cutting, one machine does it all so the process is faster and all your products enjoy the identical touch of one machine.

Talk to a laser fabrication contractor and discuss your needs with them. They can program your cutting designs and prepare a schedule for fabrication service.