During the years that Gleam Machinery has provided service of fiber laser cutting machines to customers, we have noticed that many fiber laser operators face the problem of metal lumps at the cut end. At Gleam Machinery, we’ve solved this issue for customers through our proven techniques. Here’s what we’ve learned works best.
The Main Reasons That Cause End-Cut Metal Lumps in Fiber Laser Processing
- Laser/gas interruption too fast: Stopping the laser instantly leads to the molten metal not being completely cut off, and the shielding gas can’t blow slag in time.
- Heat effect: Residual heat in the cut zone causes molten slag to resolidify and adhere to the material underside before complete expulsion.
- Mechanical inertia: The instantaneous stop leads to changes in the relative position of the nozzle and the material, which affects the effect of gas injection.
Optimized Fiber Laser Cutting Solutions
- Overcut 1-3mm: Extend the cutting path beyond the end of the cutting endpoint to maintain the laser out and gas blowing time.
Overcutting length: adjusted according to the material thickness (0.5-1mm overcut for 1mm metal plate, 1-2mm overcut for 3mm metal plate).
Overcutting speed: keep 80%-100% of the original cutting speed to prevent heat buildup.
- Slow stop: Gradually reduce the power and speed before stopping cutting to ensure the slag is fully blown away.
Deceleration zone: Final 2-5mm of cut path (e.g., 20→5 m/min).
Power reduction: Progressive decrease to 30-50% baseline output (material-specific).
- Extend the gas shielding time: Program 1-2s gas continuation in PLC to ensure the gas blowing continues after stopping the laser.
Check whether the gas line is smooth to avoid a sudden drop in gas pressure (recommend increasing the gas pressure by 10%-20%).
- Adjust the focus: adjust the focus position (e.g., +0.2mm) at the end of the cutting process to widen the kerf for slag shedding.
- Adopt “arc ending” instead of the emergency stop to reduce slag accumulation
Need more advice on optimizing your fiber laser cutting process? At Gleam Machinery, we’re here to help! Contact our team of experts and let us help you with remote or online technical guidance. We hope to take your cutting process to the next level with our professional services! 🔥
