Fabricación de chapa metálica personalizada: corte por láser de fibra frente a servicio de chorro de agua

Hemos proporcionado soluciones personalizadas a más de 500 clientes en todo el mundo, ayudándoles a reducir los costes generales de adquisición en una media del 20 %. Si tiene dificultades con la selección del proceso, comuníquese con nuestros ingenieros para obtener una evaluación gratuita del proceso DFM para encontrar la solución de procesamiento óptima.

¿Por qué el corte por láser de fibra puede convertirse en la primera opción en eficiencia para la fabricación de chapa metálica personalizada de alta precisión?

La manipulación de láminas de grosor fino a medio (de 1 mm a 12 mm) ocupa aproximadamente el 70 % del trabajo en la fabricación de láminas metálicas personalizadas. En este campo, el corte por láser de fibra encabeza la clasificación en términos de eficiencia. Sus puntos fuertes clave que contribuyen principalmente a la generación de ingresos de los clientes son velocidad, precisión y coste.

Ventajas de velocidad y densidad de energía del corte por láser de fibra

• Procesamiento de acero al carbono Q235: la velocidad de corte alcanza los 12 000 mm/min para 1 mm de espesor, 3000 mm/min para 6 mm de espesor y 6000 mm/min para 12 mm de espesor, superando con creces el promedio de la industria y aumentando significativamente la producción. capacidad.
• Procesamiento de acero inoxidable 304: Velocidad de corte de 2000mm/min para 6mm de espesor, estando la densidad de energía perfectamente controlada a 10^6 W/cm, evitando así que el material se sobre funda y manteniendo así la buena calidad del corte.

Ventajas de precisión y costes del corte por láser de fibra

• Restricción de precisión y pérdida: el corte, que tiene solo 0,1 mm, tiene un ancho un 50% menor que el habitual en el corte por llama. Esto significa que una lámina de 4'x8' puede contener entre un 5% y un 8% más de piezas de fabricación de metal personalizadas, lo que reduce el costo del material por pieza entre un 3% y un 5%.
• Mecanización y Envío: Es capaz de combinarse con sistemas automatizados de carga y descarga y de programación inteligente, reduciendo así el tiempo de entrega para producción a gran escala en un 40%, así como disminuyendo la intervención manual y los errores humanos.

Además de encontrar una empresa especializada en fabricación de chapa metálica que pueda producir las mejores piezas, estos costos ahorrados también se pueden disfrutar mediante la optimización técnica. Si tiene necesidades de personalización de lotes, comuníquese con nuestros ingenieros para obtener un cálculo de costos gratuito después de la optimización del material para desbloquear un nuevo potencial de reducción de costos.

Estudio de caso: ¿Cómo LS Manufacturing personaliza marcos de acero inoxidable de precisión para la industria de dispositivos médicos y reduce los costos en un 25 %?

The medical device sector sets a very high standard for custom sheet metal fabrication, including extremely accurate product dimensions, very fine surface qualities, as well as materials that can be used for medical purposes.

Through this case study, you will see how we have dealt with the client's main issues and, at the same time, reduced the price.

Client's Problem

A top-notch medical device manufacturer was looking to customize 6mm thick 316L stainless steel surgical stent frames with the condition that the edges should have absolutely no oxide layer and in addition, there should be no heat deformation, and the subsequent coating treatment with high demands.

The client had initially employed waterjet cutting and had a production of only 800 sets per month which could not satisfy the demand of 2,000 sets, and the cost per piece was $120, which brought quite a bit of cost pressure.

LS Manufacturing's Solution

1. Pain Point Analysis: Main client desires were "no oxide, high efficiency, and low cost." Confirming the current waterjet cutting process not only was inefficient, high cost but also could not provide the features needed by the client.
2. Process Selection: To meet the medical-grade requirements of no oxide and high precision, changing the process to "10,000-watt high pressure nitrogen fiber laser cutting, " was the best solution.
3. Parameter Optimization: Auxiliary gas pressure was increased to 25 Bar and focal point was -3.0 mm. A specially designed anti-oxidation cutting head was used to completely eliminate the oxygen in the cutting area thus preventing oxidizing the metal surface.
4. Sample Testing:Tests on 100 parts showed that the part cut surface roughness Ra was 1.6μm and there was no oxide layer, so there was no sandblasting requirement. The perpendicularity limitation was 0.08 mm, which is medically acceptable.
5. Layout Optimization: The nest layout was improved. Number of parts from a 4'x8' 316L stainless steel sheet load was increased from 12 to 14 leading to less material waste and cost reduction.

Results and Value:

Process changes helped to rework the production system.

• The production efficiency was improved by 60%, with a monthly output of 2500 sets.
• The cost of each part dropped to $90 (a 25% decrease), which led to an annual saving of $72,000.
• Besides that, all parts were 100% compliant with the medical grade salt spray test and their service life was extended by 30%.
• After process modifications, the manufacturing time per piece was cut from 15 minutes/piece to 6 minutes/piece, production efficiency was increased by 60%.
• The monthly production output seldom fell below 2,500 sets, which was well above the customer requirement.
• The overall procurement cost per part was reduced from $120 to $90, a 25% cut, resulting in the customer saving $72,000 annually.
• Also, all parts underwent 100% medical grade salt spray test successfully and their service life was increased by 30%.

Our anti-reflection technology is a powerful solution to the tough problem of cutting highly reflective metals like aluminum alloys and copper. Besides ensuring continuous cutting without interruption, this technology also prevents equipment failure. If you don't know what laser parameters suit your sheet metal, just upload your CAD drawings and you will get free process selection advice.

Figure 3:​ Several metal samples with cut edges, showcasing results from different cutting processes like laser and waterjet.

Why Is It Necessary To Strictly Control The Heat Affected Zone In Industrial Sheet Metal Fabrication To Ensure Subsequent Welding Strength?

In the field of industrial sheet metal fabrication, the laser cutting stage has a major impact on how the parts will be bent and welded later on. Controlling the heat-affected zone (HAZ), i.e. the small surface layer that is altered by being heated, is critical for weld strength and is something that is commonly neglected.

Potential Hazards of the Heat-Affected Zone

Fiber laser cutting creates a 0.1-0.3mm thick surface layer with different mechanical properties (i.e. a heat affected zone or HAZ) that if uncontrolled can cause:

1. Too much springback during CNC bending leading to bending accuracy deviations of up to 0.2mm, thus impacting assembly.
2. Lowering the weld toughness of the structural components that will be welded, thus increasing the chances of microcracks and failure to meet the AWS D1.1 requirements for steel structure welding.

Heat-Affected Zone Control Scheme

1. Parameter Optimization: To limit the HAZ to 0.1mm, reduce energy density and increase cutting speed, which will also keep the weld strength at least 95% of the base metal.
2. Auxiliary Processing: For very high demand projects, a 0.2mm machining allowance is left for subsequent precision grinding to remove the hardened layer, areas of critical welding are processed by the water jet method to completely eliminate the HAZ.

How Can Professional Industrial Sheet Metal Fabrication Manufacturers Ensure Stable Delivery Time Through Equipment Redundancy?

Stable delivery times are a fundamental customer requirement in industrial sheet metal fabrication. Delivery delays are mainly caused by equipment failures and maintenance downtime. We implement an equipment redundancy strategy to provide a "zero delay" delivery guarantee.

Equipment Redundancy System Construction

Our company has several 12kW laser cutting machines and high pressure water jets of the same specifications to set up an "equipment hot backup" system.

In case a single piece of equipment is broken down or is under maintenance, the production line can be immediately switched and the backup equipment can be running within 10 minutes, thus completely avoiding the downtime and ensuring uninterrupted production.

Auxiliary Measures for Delivery Time Guarantee

We implement a 24/7 lights out production mode, along with an intelligent scheduling system aimed at unattended continuous production, thus not only improving efficiency but also reducing the risks of delivery time. Heavy asset investment is turned into a "zero delay" brand promise, satisfying the requirements of high value procurement.

FAQs

Q1: What are the achievable tolerances for laser cutting and waterjet cutting in sheet metal processing?

Our fiber laser is capable of achieving a positioning accuracy of 0.1mm (ideal for 1-12mm thin plates). However, precision waterjet cutting can consistently maintain a tolerance of 0.05-0.15mm when working on thick plates.

Q2: Why do you suggest giving fiber laser cutting a higher priority when producing high precision aluminum alloy parts?

By combining fiber laser with our dynamic frequency compensation technology, we have achieved a method of eliminating the issue of the accumulation of slag on aluminum alloys after processing. The processing speed is 5-10 times faster than that of waterjet cutting, resulting in a drastic increase in efficiency and a reduction in costs.

Q3: How does LS Manufacturing ensure the perpendicularity of the cut for ultra thick carbon steel plates exceeding 25mm?

LS Manufacturing's solution to the problem is to utilize a powerful waterjet or a laser head, which is compensated for bevel. By lowering the speed and raising the gas flow, we can guarantee that the bevel angle is kept within 1 therefore fulfilling the requirements of thick plates.

Q4: Does fiber laser cutting change the chemical properties of the edges of stainless steel parts?

In some cases when cutting with oxygen, the metal surface can be oxidized. We usually cut the metal with high pressure nitrogen to protect the metal color naturally and also make it easier to weld without doing any extra work.

Q5: My drawing requires extremely small micro holes. Will waterjet cutting cause chipping?

Waterjet cutting micro holes smaller than 1.5mm may cause chipping. To prevent damage in the weak parts of the material, we advise laser pre-drilling or usage of a complete laser setup.

Q6: When customizing sheet metal parts in bulk, which process can help me obtain a more competitive quote?

For large volume workpieces with thickness less than 10mm, fiber laser cutting has such a high production rate per hour that a price of only 40% higher than waterjet cutting would significantly lower your bulk purchase costs.

Q7: If my parts require mirror polishing, what are the considerations for choosing the cutting process?

It would be best if you consider laser cutting together with our surface finishing procedure so that you can minimize grinding after processing, get a surface roughness of around Ra1.6, and be ready for mirror polishing.

Q8: Will LS Manufacturing allow uploading of CAD drawings for a free evaluation of the DFM process?

Yes, Our engineers will give you process recommendations and price quotes based on your drawings in 24 hours to help you achieve a balance between manufacturability and cost.

Resumen

Fiber laser cutting is a good way to cut medium or thin plates in custom sheet metal fabrication and Waterjet cutting is a good choice for thick plates and heat sensitive materials (quality assurance). Material thickness tolerances, and post processes should be considered when deciding both methods.

The right process can save 20%-25% of costs and speed up delivery times. With top notch equipment and technology, LS Manufacturing assists customers in choosing the best balance of cost, quality, and delivery time.

Upgrade your precision sheet metal supply chain. Get in touch with one of our experts now or upload your STEP/DXF files to receive a personalized DFM evaluation and price. Take advantage of our 24-hour rapid quote service and get a cheap custom sheet metal fabrication solution.

Gloria

Experto en creación rápida de prototipos y fabricación rápida

Nos especializamos en mecanizado CNC, impresión 3D, fundición de uretano, herramientas rápidas, moldeo por inyección, fundición de metales, chapa y extrusión.

Got thoughts or experiences to share? We'd love to hear from you!