The influence of three auxiliary gases on the cutting process when laser cutting carbon steel

When the laser cutting machine cuts carbon steel, it usually uses auxiliary gas to assist the operation. Common auxiliary gases include oxygen, nitrogen and air. What is the difference between these three gases when cutting carbon steel?

To understand the influence of each auxiliary gas on the cutting process, it is necessary to clarify the function principle of the auxiliary gas. First of all, the advantages of using air cutting are obvious, and there is no cost. When using air, you only need to consider the electricity costs of the air compressor and the equipment itself, eliminating the need for high auxiliary gas costs. The cutting efficiency on thin plates can be compared with nitrogen cutting, and it is an economical and efficient cutting method. But air cutting also has obvious shortcomings in the cross section. First, the cut surface will produce burrs, which require secondary processing to clean up, which is not conducive to the entire product production cycle. Second, the cut surface will turn black, which will affect the quality of the product. Laser processing itself has the advantages of efficiency and quality accuracy, and the disadvantages of air cutting have caused many customers to abandon this cutting method.

Secondly, oxygen cutting is used. Oxygen cutting is the most common and traditional cutting method. The advantage of the fiber laser cutting machine using oxygen is mainly reflected in the cost of the gas. In the sheet metal processing based on carbon steel, there is no need to frequently replace the auxiliary gas, which increases the cutting efficiency and facilitates management. But the disadvantage is that after oxygen cutting, there will be a layer of oxide film on the surface of the cut surface. If the product with oxide film is directly welded, the oxide film will naturally peel off after a long time, and the product will become a virtual product. Welding affects the quality of welding.

Finally, use nitrogen for cutting. When oxygen is used as an auxiliary gas, an oxide film will be formed on the cutting surface. The use of nitrogen can prevent the appearance of oxide film and form a non-oxidized cutting. The surface of the non-oxidized cutting is generally white, which can be directly processed by welding, spraying, etc. The characteristics of strong corrosion resistance also make its application range very wide.