Metal laser cutting: stainless steel and aluminium

Metal laser cutting: what it is and when it pays off

Metal laser cutting is a process in which a focused laser beam melts the sheet along the profile of the drawing, while a gas jet blows away the molten metal. The edge comes out clean and no dies are needed: this is why laser cutting pays off both for a one-off piece and for a batch of brackets, plates, flanges, spacers, covers, perforated panels and shapes. Cutting is the first stage of COOLASER's custom metalworking.

Laser cutting of 304 and 316 stainless steel

COOLASER's steel laser cutting is dedicated mainly to stainless steel, in two alloys:

• 304 stainless steel, the general-purpose stainless steel, for brackets, supports, casings, plates and visible components;
• 316 stainless steel, more resistant to corrosion, chosen for the marine sector, saline environments and equipment in contact with seawater.

Cut stainless steel does not need painting: it can be left as it is, satin finished, polished or marked.

Aluminium laser cutting

Aluminium laser cutting produces lightweight parts that do not rust: panels, covers, light brackets, support plates and components for the marine sector, motorcycles and vehicle fit-outs, where weight matters. The edge comes out clean up to 4 mm thick. The cut aluminium piece can be bent, welded, bead blasted with glass beads or marked in the same workshop.

Laser cutting of brass and titanium

• Brass laser cutting: a gold-coloured alloy, for tags, decorative details and small components.
• Titanium laser cutting: a light metal that is highly resistant to corrosion, even in seawater, for marine and motorcycle components.

Sheet metal laser cutting

Sheet metal laser cutting turns a flat sheet into finished parts or parts ready for further processing. In the same workshop the cut part can go on to sheet metal bending, laser welding and marking. The cut edge is clean; on request it is deburred, chamfered or finished with metal finishing.

CNC metal cutting: from file to part

CNC metal cutting is cutting guided by a numerical control, which follows the path read from the drawing file. The same file produces identical parts even at a later date, for spare parts and repeat batches. With the file ready, the price of CNC metal cutting is calculated online with the online quote tool.

Metal cutting for machine shops, companies and private individuals

Made-to-order metal cutting serves machine shops and metal fabricators, designers and companies for prototypes and small batches, maintenance technicians and private individuals with a spare part to remake. The material can be supplied by COOLASER, or the customer can ship it to the workshop. For ongoing subcontract laser cutting, for machine shops and resellers, there is the subcontract laser service.

Materials, thicknesses and limits

The thicknesses that can be laser cut depend on the metal. Up to the thicknesses in the middle column the edge comes out clean, without burr; greater thicknesses, up to the maximum, are assessed on the part, because the edge may have burr to be finished.

On thick sheet metal two adjacent cuts must be at least as far apart as the thickness, so the drawing is checked before cutting. Copper, gold, silver and platinum are not cut.

How it works

Metal laser cutting is ordered in three steps.

1. Price or quote: with the drawing file the price is calculated online; without a file the request form is used, with sizes and a description.
2. Material, quantity and lead time: metal, thickness and number of parts are specified; in the request form the lead time is also chosen: standard, urgent or by a set date.
3. Cutting and delivery: the workshop cuts the parts and, on request, finishes, bends or marks them; then shipping throughout Italy and abroad or, on request, collection from the workshop.

What to prepare: files and sizes

A file ready for laser cutting has these features:

• vector drawing at full scale, usually DXF, DWG or SVG;
• closed outlines, without double or overlapping lines;
• text converted to curves;
• material, thickness and quantity stated in the request.

The request form also accepts AI, EPS, PDF and STEP files, up to 10 files, 20 MB each and 30 MB in total. Without a file, sizes and a description are enough.