Fiber Laser Vs Co2 Laser Engraving

How to choose the best fiber laser engraver.

Fiber laser vs co2 laser engraving.

By jerome landry on september 09 2020. Knowing how to choose the right laser engraver for your application is not that complicated. Generally anything above 5mm in thickness. Co2 lasers vs fiber lasers.

A side by side comparison. This makes for faster return of investment even for small volume orders. In general fiber lasers have many advantages over co2 lasers. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of a co2 laser which will cover many of the points above as a direct comparison.

Fiber laser are ideally suited for metal marking applications such as engraving annealing and high contrast plastic markings. A fiber laser can cut many of the same materials as a co2 plus copper brass and aluminum much better because the beam is more readily absorbed and not reflected. If you are willing to learn just the basics of fiber laser engraving you can. For example cutting 125 inch aluminum and thinner using abr as an assist gas can produce speeds 3x higher than co2.

Evolution of fiber laser cutting technology fiber laser cutting has been one of the most disruptive technologies introduced to the metalworking market since co2 lasers were first introduced for cutting sheet metal back in the 1980s. The main disadvantages that a fiber laser faces in comparison to a co2 laser relates to cutting speeds of thicker materials. Both processes offer increased precision and versatility for shops of all sizes and the technology is continually evolving toward improved. Briefly fiber laser light is created by banks of diodes.

Co2 lasers remain the preferred technology for a wide range of industries because they deliver reliable performance at a fraction of the cost of fiber lasers. Tell us about your application. The amplified light on exiting the fiber cable is collimated or. Fiber laser cutting pros and cons the rapidly growing science of laser cutting is dominated by two main methods carbon dioxide co2 laser cutting and fiber laser cutting.

Fiber laser cutting technology is considered a disruptive and revolutionary change because it has impacted the entire status quo in sheet metal. The price of equipment for co2 laser cutting or engraving starts at 35 000 but rarely goes beyond 100 000. The light is channeled and amplified through fiber optic cable similar to that used for data transfer. Fiber lasers are best suited for high contrast markings like metal annealing etching and engraving.

Fiber laser vs co2 laser. A fiber laser usually has a wavelength of 1 060 nm while co2 lasers have wavelengths in the 10 600 nm range. Comparison of laser engraving machines. Fiber systems feature a long service life with a minimum of 25 000 laser hours and in general are maintenance free machines.