Can you laser cut steel?

The answer is yes.

Laser cutting of steel has been recognised as one of the most efficient and accurate methods of CNC metal cutting. Both CO2 laser cutting machines and fiber laser cutting machines can be used for CNC metal cutting. Although they can both cut steel materials, there are significant differences between them.

CO2 laser machines use a CO2 laser source. The CO2 laser has a wavelength of 10.6 microns and is stable. A CO2 laser cutter can cut steel materials, but at a very thin thickness. For example, a 130 W CO2 laser cutter is capable of cutting stainless steel to 1 mm and carbon steel to 1 mm. Laser powers below 130 W are relatively difficult to cut metallic materials. In addition, the CO2 laser cutting machine should use a laser head that supports metal cutting and may use a copper nozzle. In addition, CO2 laser cutting machines appear to be somewhat overpowered when cutting thin steel plates. For this reason, CO2 laser cutting machines are currently mainly used for cutting and engraving non-metallic materials, and SUNNA INTL offers hybrid CO2 laser cutting machines that can cut both metallic and non-metallic materials.

The fiber laser cutting machine with fibre laser source is designed to cut a wide range of metallic materials. It is therefore the perfect choice for developing your laser cutting steel projects. Different laser powers can help you cut steel plates of various thicknesses. Laser cutting of steel requires the assistance of an auxiliary gas. For example, laser cutting of stainless steel requires the help of nitrogen, while laser cutting of carbon steel requires oxygen.SUNNA INTL offers a wide range of models of fiber metal laser cutting machines for laser cutting steel projects.