Lasers are still relatively new tools in the manufacturing industries, but many would agree that they have huge potential. They are fast, suitable for a wide range of materials, highly reliable, able to reproduce intricate designs, and are mostly automated. Using a laser for cutting, marking, and engraving presents a lot of benefits compared to the more traditional rotary tools.

When making the shift to laser technology, a manufacturer is given another choice – to pick between either a CO₂ laser or a fiber laser. As with any worthy dilemma, there are benefits and drawbacks to be considered in either option.

The Fiber laser Cutting Industry seems to have been taken over by a storm. More and more options are available and companies are investing in this technology, as the quality of Fiber laser cutting is so high.

Generally, if your application is laser cutting of metals, you’ll most likely need a high-power fiber laser. For other materials like plastics and rubber, it can be one or the other.

Nowadays the CO₂ is becoming very costly and the technology is rather outdated. Machines like Milling machines can be largely used for marking of organic materials and there is a wide variety of smaller fiber laser cutting machines out there that are taking over this market too.

The main difference determining the type of materials each laser can process is the wavelength. A fiber laser usually has a wavelength of 1,060 nm whileCO₂ lasers have wavelengths in the 10,600 nm range. Generally, Fiber lasers have many advantages over CO₂ Lasers.

Fiber lasers are generally “maintenance-free” machines, and they have a long service life. They can be smaller than CO₂ lasers and due to the high electrical efficiency of fiber lasers, use significantly less power than CO₂ lasers, resulting in huge cost savings for cutting applications. The quality of a fiber laser beam is virtually incomparable.

Fiber lasers now have a growing demand for industrial cleaning applications such as removing rust, paint, oxides, and other contaminants. The cost of a fiber laser system will greatly vary depending on your applications. Industrial fiber laser systems can vary greatly and it is normally the power source that is the largest impacter.

CO₂ Lasers

If you need to cut thicker materials, it’s best to go with CO₂ lasers. CO₂ lasers deliver faster initial piercing times, quicker straight-line cutting and a smoother surface finish when cutting materials above 5 mm.

However, the edge cutting quality of High Definition Plasma Cutting Machines is very high and these can take over the job of the C02 Laser on materials thicker than 10mm mild steel.

Unfortunately, CO₂ lasers use much more power than fiber lasers, which results in a higher cost of operation. For instance, a high-power CO₂ laser and chiller will consume roughly 70 kW when operating on maximum power. A similarly powered fiberlaser consumes approximately 18 kW. So your output costs can be a deciding factor. Which is why factory power is so important and the advent of Solar power to your factory is something to start investigating.

CO₂ Lasers technology is older, and in such a fast paced technological world the running costs are higher. Which means that it would probably not be the most cost effective solution to your factory cutting choice.

Conclusion

Although each laser has its strengths and distinct uses, the CO₂ is an older technology and slowly becoming unavailable. Fiber laser technology has grown immensely and is taking over market share quickly.

Improved speed benefits, huge reduction in operating costs and three to four times greater throughput than CO₂ lasers on thin gauge materials. Therefore the financial gains of the Fiber laser is apparent.