CNC cutting, laser and nesting · Lesson 2 of 4

CNC cutting, laser and nesting: materials, standards and design constraints

Which gas suits which metal and edge, the settings that make a clean cut, AFS flashing stock in millimetres against the ISO 9013 laser range, coated-sheet cut edges and storage, and the AFS sheet and piece limits.

You will be able to: Match the laser cutting gas to the material and edge wanted, name the parameters that set cut quality, read what ISO 9013 does and does not govern, and state the AFS sheet, thickness and piece limits a nest works within.

10 min · 11 slides · 7 questions

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Slide 1 of 11

Gas and material

TRUMPF calls flame cutting, with oxygen, the standard method for mild steel, and says it allows very high cutting speeds and the processing of thick sheet.

Fusion cutting drives nitrogen or argon through the kerf at 2 to 20 bar; TRUMPF uses it for thin stainless and mild steel from 0.5 mm.

With fusion cutting TRUMPF says the edges stay free of burrs or oxides and barely need reworking.

Sources

Laser cutting as a contact-free slitting process (applications page) - TRUMPF

Glossary

ISO 9013: ISO 9013:2017, the international standard that classifies oxyfuel flame, plasma and laser cuts by geometric quality and tolerance. It applies only when a drawing or document refers to it.
GALVALUME: Steel sheet hot-dip coated on both sides with an alloy that Cleveland-Cliffs' product data gives as 55 % aluminum and about 45 % zinc by weight.
Storage stain: A dull black or dark grey discoloration that Cleveland-Cliffs says may form on GALVALUME or galvanized sheet when moisture stays between cut lengths, coil wraps or nested parts.
Strip: In AFS's sheet convention, a piece cut along the 10 ft length of a 48 in wide sheet; its width is the profile's blank width.
Focal diameter: The diameter of the focused laser spot; TRUMPF says it sets the width of the gap and the form of the kerf.