Things you should consider before buying a laser cutting machine.

Customers often have the same confusion: the company decides to buy a laser cutting machine, but there is no clear standard or data to help them decide which laser machine is suitable for them.

The market has gradually become saturated due to too many different types of products. Customers can only be able to make choice through screening prices rather than based on the true performance of the equipment.

We will discuss the important points to pay attention to when buying a laser cutting machine, but we need to understand that there is no general rule that can be applied to everyone. Therefore, when each company makes a purchasing decision, it needs to consider many factors according to its own situation.

The first question that needs to be confirmed is: choose CO2 laser or fiber laser?

The answer is: it depends on how you plan to use these devices. The process between CO2 and optical fiber is very different, but the main difference between them is that CO2 is more suitable for non-metal materials, and for some specific materials, the cutting quality is also higher. However, fiber cutting machines are also rapidly developing their ability to cut large thickness metal materials.

Fiber lasers also have other advantages, such as fast cutting speed, low production costs, low energy consumption, and low maintenance costs compared to CO2 lasers.

When purchasing a laser machine, you also need to consider the number of cutting heads. According to your work type, having two cutting heads working at the same time can double the production efficiency.

At the same time, you can also consider choosing a straight cutter head or a cutter head equipped with a bevel cutting system, but not all manufacturers provide these options.

The current cutting equipment on the market is developing towards two centers of gravity:

Speed: equipment with faster cutting speed and higher power. This is usually for companies that have a cutting center, a low part repetition rate, and a large number of different orders.

Automation + "Never stop work": Provide equipment with automatic feeding and unloading devices, which can work 24 hours a day. This is usually for companies that have their own products, a large number of duplicate parts, and large orders.

But if these functions do not meet the company's needs, even if this is the best equipment in the world, it will be a failed investment for the company. Therefore, before choosing a model, you must first think about what goals the cutting machine is used to achieve.

Our most basic goal must be to improve product quality and reduce production costs. This requires that the infrastructure can meet the actual needs of the factory and have the same responsiveness as a human team. The laser cutting machine needs to be used for a long time. Therefore, a suitable environment and suitable conditions should be created for it, otherwise it may affect the service life of the equipment.

The subsequent laser cutting machine also requires investment in different aspects, but it is logically difficult to predict and quantify future investment. Therefore, one thing that is very important is after-sales service. If a device can help you make money, you definitely want to use it for as long as possible. All unplanned downtime will waste time and money. Therefore, a reasonable maintenance cost and excellent after-sales service are as important as the equipment itself.

In addition, for factories with multiple devices, the situation will be more complicated. And the newly purchased equipment is not necessarily the same brand or process as the existing equipment. Customers who generally use flame and plasma cutting equipment often purchase laser cutting machines to expand production. Moreover, it is also difficult to find a qualified person to be responsible for equipment problems, and each equipment may be equipped with different software.

It is very common to mix several different brands and processes in the same production process. The company is not willing to change the process easily, and it is not so easy to change the brand. Therefore, having a software that can integrate different devices has great advantages:

Only need to use one software.

Save training costs.

Only one software needs to be maintained.

Only one parts database is needed to avoid repeated errors.

Parts can be quickly transferred from one device to another.

A post processor developed specifically for non-general equipment and models.

Maximize the use of equipment potential.

Avoid using intermediate files.

Through long-term experience, we have sorted out these contents. We hope that customers can consider the problems that may arise before making such a complicated and important decision to purchase laser cutting equipment.

We also want to point out that Raytu can well support all the processes mentioned above and is the best manufacturer when purchasing a cutting machine.