Fiber Laser Dust Collecting System

CO2 machines remain widely used for non-metallic materials, including wood, paper, textiles and leather. But faster cut speeds and lower energy and operating costs make fiber laser cutting machines hard to beat for high-volume metal cutting applications. Here’s why more manufacturers are making the switch:

• Lower energy costs: Fiber lasers are much more energy efficient, which results in lower operating costs. A 3kW fiber laser uses only 1/3 of the energy consumed by a 4 kW CO2 machine. This is because fiber produces a narrower, more concentrated beam, so the energy stays focused on the cut line and less energy is lost to heating the surrounding material.
• Faster cutting speeds: Fiber lasers can cut thin materials much faster than a CO2 laser—3x faster for 1 mm galvanized or stainless steel and 2x faster for 2 mm steel. (CO2 still has an advantage for very thick metals, but those advantages are eroding with the newest generation of high-wattage fiber lasers.)
• More uptime: There are fewer moving parts and no mirrors on a fiber laser machines, which reduces maintenance requirements and the need for frequent servicing and recalibration commonly required for CO2 lasers. Fiber laser machines are also less vulnerable to unexpected production downtime, as there are no mirrors that can be knocked out of alignment.
• Lower maintenance costs: Servicing costs for fiber lasers can be half of the costs for a comparable CO2 machine.
• Ability to cut reflective materials: Fiber lasers can cut reflective materials such as copper, brass and aluminum without the risk of back reflections damaging the machine.
• Less material waste: Fiber lasers generate a thinner beam than CO2 machines, which translates to a thinner kerf (the portion of the material burned away by the laser). The difference may not be noticeable to human senses, but when processing large volumes of material, it can add up. A thinner kerf also allows fiber lasers to be used for more detailed and delicate work on thin materials.

• Human health implications: If laser cutting dust escapes the laser enclosure, tiny particles can be inhaled deeply into the lungs, causing serious health concerns. Stainless steel and other metalworking dusts contain toxic substances such as cadmium, beryllium, hexavalent chromium and manganese. Other materials may also produce toxic, carcinogenic or irritating dusts when cut with a laser. OSHA requires facilities to reduce human exposure to these dusts.
• Combustion risk: Many of the dusts produced by laser cutting are combustible. If they are allowed to accumulate in the air in an enclosed environment, it can result in a dangerous explosion.
• Part Quality: If the airflow isn’t adequate, soot may accumulate on the bottom of the parts. This necessitates additional cleaning and could affect part quality.

Fiber laser cutting dust is more challenging than CO2 laser cutting dust for a few reasons.

• Dust volume: While fiber lasers have a thinner kerf, and thus remove less material per inch as they cut, they are usually cutting many more inches per minute. The increased cutting speed results in more dust production per minute compared to a similar CO2 laser.
• Dust characteristics: When cutting metal, fiber laser cutting produces very fine (often microscopic), jagged particles that can be inhaled deeply into the lungs or embed themselves deep within the fibers of the filter media in the dust collector. That makes this kind of dust especially dangerous if it is allowed to escape the laser cutting enclosure. It also creates challenges for dust collection.
• Dust velocity: The high energies and speeds inherent to fiber laser cutting results in these tiny particles moving at high velocities within the enclosure. This means that they tend to hit the filter at high speed, further embedding dust particles into filter media. Static forces also attract tiny particles to the filter media. This makes it difficult to pulse dust off of the filter.

These characteristics can result in rapid clogging of filter media and inadequate dust collection. With the newest high-wattage fiber lasers, these problems are amplified even more.

Visit our Combustible Dust Webinar to see if your application may require explosion proofing – Combustible Dust Webinar