Why Some Metals Warp During Laser Cutting-And How To Prevent It
Laser cutting warping prevention is necessary to provide high standards of components that are used in precision products and assemblies. A warped metal alloy is of no use, even of the features cut are within design specifications. Metallics are unforgiving when it comes to their integrity in that that is no leeway for even slightly skewed profiles. Flexibility and the characteristics of formability do not occur in most metal alloys, and those that come close will be ultra-thin. For most metal precision parts cut by a laser process, not lying flat, will mean a non-conformance. While all metal alloys have characteristics that promote use in specific applications and environments, they can be damaged if the heat affect zones or HAZ are not controlled. Let’s review some alloys and how laser cutting overcomes potential warpage.
Metal Alloys and Laser Cutting
Metal alloys come in different raw forms for use in manufacturing such as blocks, tubes, rods, plates, rolls, sheets, and foils. When laser cut, the most common forms used are sheets and foils because the bulk of precision laser cut components are flat, 2D profiles. There are systems dedicated to cutting tubes and cylinders to form medical stents and other tools, but flat parts remain the niche that laser cutting supports. With a focus on producing high precision components that include challenging profiles, laser cutting warping prevention is as much an artform as it is a technological solution. Why do some metal alloys warp and compared to others and how it is controlled is not as straight forward as it may seem. Metal alloys have characteristics that give them strength, high thermal thresholds, conductivity, corrosion resistance, and machinability. These variables however are subject to the design constraints, the method used to machine, and other factors. For laser cutting specialists, what has worked for one project, may not be the best process for another of the same material.
To compare, a head-to-head review of different metal alloys cutting the same design, of 20mil thick stainless steel, titanium, and nickel with an array of 0.76mm holes with 1mm pitch (0.24mm spacing) for a total of about 3000 cut apertures. These were the results of using a fiber laser:
Nickel: This faired the best out of the three with minimal effect to the array flatness.
Titanium: The warping was considerable and enough to create unevenness where the laser focus was affected.
Stainless Steel: The results of cutting the array out of stainless steel indicated some warpage and in some areas. Potentially making a component non-conforming.
The result of these three metal alloys is.......
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Why Some Metals Warp During Laser Cutting-And How To Prevent It - A-Laser Precision Laser Cutting
A-Laser Precision Laser Cutting - Laser Ablation, UV and IR Lasers
