Non-ferrous metal cutting. Welding of non-ferrous metals - how not to spoil expensive communications? Oxy-flux cutting equipment

Laser cutting metal based on application of a focused laser beam, usually computer-controlled. The laser beam is characterized by directivity, monochromaticity and coherence. The properties of the laser beam make it possible to focus it on a small area of \u200b\u200bthe material and create a high energy density sufficient to destroy this material.

Cutting metals and alloys

When exposed to a laser beam the metal heats up and begins to melt. Further heating leads to an increase in temperature to the boiling point and evaporation of the metal. Cutting metals and alloys can be carried out both by melting and by evaporation. In practice, melting is more commonly used because evaporation requires a higher laser power.

During the cutting process, gas is pressurized into the work area, which increases the thickness of the work piece, increases the cutting speed and reduces energy costs. Currently air, oxygen, nitrogen or inert gas are used for laser cutting... Oxygen used in laser cutting causes oxidation of the metal, reducing the reflection of the laser beam, generates additional heat due to the combustion of metal in oxygen, and blows molten metal and combustion products out of the cut area.

Laser cutting methods

Exist two ways of laser cutting. For metals that ignite below the combustion point (titanium and mild steel), melting is carried out due to the heat of combustion of the metal... Metals that form refractory oxides and do not burn before melting (aluminum, copper, high carbon steels), cut by melting and removal of liquid metal with a gas jet.

Types of lasers

Laser cutting plants use solid-state, gas, slit and gas-dynamic lasers... Solid-state lasers use ruby, neodymium, neodymium glass, and yttrium aluminum garnet as the working medium. Solid state lasers have a low power (from 1 to 6 kW) and a wavelength from 0.7 to 1 micron. Use lasers in continuous and pulsed modes radiation. Pulse mode reduces power consumption.

In gas lasers the working medium is a mixture of gases (carbon dioxide, helium and nitrogen). The gas is excited by an electric discharge. The power of gas lasers reaches 20 kW. In slit lasers pumping is carried out at a high frequency, thereby increasing the stability of the discharge. The slit design provides better heat dissipation from the laser active medium. Slit gas CO2 lasers are most effective. Slit lasers use continuous and pulse frequency mode of radiation. Carbon dioxide lasers operate at a wavelength of about 10 microns.

The principle of operation of gas-dynamic lasers is based on the emission of coherent radiation by a gas during cooling of a gas heated to a temperature from 1000 to 3000 K and exiting from a nozzle with supersonic speed... Gas-dynamic lasers provide a maximum power of over 150 kW.

Solid-state lasers are mainly used for cutting metals, since at the wavelength of a solid-state laser, metals have a maximum absorption value. Carbon dioxide lasers are suitable for processing almost any material, both metals and non-metals. Laser cutting of metal is performed on installations with a power of 500 W, and for cutting non-ferrous metals, an installation power of 1 kW is required.

Laser cutting of steel

Laser cutting of carbon steel is carried out using oxygen. Due to the reaction of the metal with oxygen, more than 3 times more heat is released than from the laser radiation itself. When cutting with oxygen, a high quality cut is obtained. Cutting sheet steel at low speeds it can cause overheating and uncontrolled burning of the metal behind the cutting zone, which leads to an increase in the width and roughness of the cut. In some cases (cutting holes of small diameter), steel is cut using inert gases instead of oxygen.

Cutting stainless steel laser is characterized by slagging of the cut with alloying elements and the formation of refractory oxides. Oxides have low fluidity and are difficult to remove from the cutting zone. Therefore, laser cutting of stainless steel, especially chrome-nickel and high-chromium grades, is carried out by feeding nitrogen under high pressure into the cutting zone.

Laser cutting copper

Laser cutting of copper, as well as cutting of brass, aluminum and its alloys has a number of features. These metals have high thermal conductivity and low laser absorption at the wavelength of a carbon dioxide laser. These metals are cut with high power solid-state lasers. Copper cutting is performed for sheets of small thickness (up to 2 mm) with a laser operating in a repetitively pulsed mode. Laser cutting of brass gives a porous rough cut surface with a burr on the lower edge, and with a large sheet thickness, the surface quality becomes worse.

Laser cutting mode

The cutting width, cutting quality and other parameters depend on the operating mode of the laser system. The laser cutting mode determines the radiation power, cutting speed, diameter of the focused spot, the type of gas used and its pressure. In addition, the pulse mode is characterized by the repetition rate and pulse duration and the average radiation power.

Advantages and disadvantages of laser cutting

Laser cutting of metal provides a number of advantages that make it possible to choose in its favor:

  • ability to cut any materials;
  • obtaining high-quality and narrow cuts;
  • minimal material deformation;
  • high accuracy;
  • low price of laser cutting metal with high quality;
  • high degree of automation.

The disadvantages of the method of laser cutting metal can be attributed to the fact that laser cutting sheet metal has a limitation in sheet thickness (up to 40 mm), as well as a high cost of the equipment itself and its maintenance.

"A-Zavod" renders services in laser cutting of metal on favorable terms for clients. If you need laser cutting of metal in Moscow, our specialists will carry out the necessary work at the optimum time and at a high level. The cost of laser cutting of metal does not depend on the batch size, but is determined by the operating time of the equipment.

Laser cutting of non-ferrous metals is not like cutting carbon steel. This is due to the fact that, due to their high thermal conductivity, they have a low ability to absorb laser energy, which creates certain difficulties in their processing.

The MetalProcess company offers to use the services of laser cutting of various non-ferrous metals on modern TRUMPF equipment.

Features of laser cutting of non-ferrous metals

In order to obtain a high-quality cutting surface and avoid the appearance of burrs (formed burrs, in the form of solidified drops), it is very important to correctly observe all technological modes of the process.

So for cutting aluminum and alloys based on it, it is necessary to use a gas medium of nitrogen or oxygen. The gas is selected depending on the thickness of the material. It is necessary for blowing out the formed molten metal from the cut cavity.

Unlike aluminum, solid-state lasers are used to cut copper-based alloys. Obtaining the required roughness of the cut is provided by the pulsed mode of operation of the emitter.

The advantage of laser technology

Compared with traditional methods, the use of laser cutting can significantly improve the efficiency of manufacturing various parts. Among the main advantages are:

  • High-precision observance of the specified geometric dimensions. The ability to obtain a batch of blanks with identical parameters and a complex contour.
  • Due to the point effect of thermal energy, the workpiece does not warp. This allows very thin metal sheets to be cut.
  • During processing, the material is not exposed to external mechanical stress. This makes it possible to process easily deformable workpieces.
  • High quality of the cut surface. There is no need to use mechanical treatment to clean it.
  • High cutting speed.
  • Possibility of producing very small holes.
  • Full automation. Thanks to this, human participation in the process is minimized.
  • Minimal waste.

Laser cutting of non-ferrous metals at MetalProcess

The high power of our equipment allows us to perform laser cutting in Moscow of non-ferrous metals with a thickness:

  • aluminum and alloys based on it - 20 mm;
  • copper and alloys based on it - 10 mm.

The main points of our work:

  1. Using your own materials;
  2. Delivery of manufactured parts to the customer;
  3. Competitive prices;
  4. For manufacturing, a sketch of the part in any graphic format is enough.

Limitation! Minimum cost order - 5000 rubles.

To clarify the price of our services, fill out the form on our website or call

Prices for cutting non-ferrous metal, rub. per meter of cut.

Price is for Rz40 cut.

Material / Thickness

More than 20mm
Brass, copper
Titanium
Dural, aluminum

The minimum order amount is 5000 rubles, excluding the cost of the material.

All prices are inclusive of VAT.

Many types of non-ferrous metals, possessing undoubted advantages, are capricious enough for cutting. Cutting refers to the separation of the required part, that is, a specific workpiece, from the solid material. There are classic types of cutting - mechanical, using cutting tools, and thermal cutting. Thermal - cutting metal by heating: oxygen, plasma, laser. And also innovative technology -. Non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, its alloy duralumin, copper, brass, titanium are difficult to mechanically cut due to their significant thermal conductivity and toughness.

Pros of the waterjet cutting method

From thermal cutting the most demanded is oxy-fuel. But most non-ferrous metals do not lend themselves to this cutting method. Plasma cutting is capable of processing non-ferrous metals, but being thermal, it deprives non-ferrous metals of their special physical and technological properties. Laser cutting is more modern method, but not all non-ferrous metals are on her shoulder, for example: aluminum and titanium have strong reflective properties, so the laser power is simply not enough for the entire thickness of the metal.
Waterjet cutting is a cutting method that affects all materials. The essence of the method consists in processing a workpiece with a thin, hair-like jet of water under enormous pressure with the addition of an abrasive material (garnet sand). Waterjet cutting technology is the most accurate and high-quality method for cutting non-ferrous metals and more.
She has huge advantages:

  • There is no thermal effect on metals, since the cutting operating temperature (60-90 ºС);
  • The material consumption coefficient is very small;
  • The processed material thickness can be 200 mm;
  • It provides for the processing of thin sheet metals, collected in a package of a couple of layers, which makes it possible to increase productivity many times over;
  • Cut contours can be any, even very intricate;
  • The process of the work performed is quite safe, since no flammable and explosive materials are used;
  • High degree of environmental friendliness;
  • The quality of the resulting surface very often does not require additional machining.

It lends itself to all metals, and sufficiently reflective or superhard, and bimetals, and composite materials. Copper, aluminum, duralumin, brass, titanium - all these and many other metals can be processed without any problems using a similar cutting method, which is now one of the most progressive. Waterjet cutting has found widespread use in the aviation and aerospace industries as it enables cutting superhard materials such as titanium and other composite materials.

Application of non-ferrous metals

It is impossible to imagine any industry without non-ferrous metals. Take titanium. It differs from other structural materials in its high specific strength, while being lightweight and heat-resistant, while having excellent corrosion resistance. Therefore, most of it goes to the needs of aviation, rocket technology and marine shipbuilding, and its biological safety makes it an excellent material for the food industry and reconstructive surgery. Titanium is in fourth place in its use as a structural material, yielding its positions to aluminum, Fe and Mg.
Due to its indisputable useful properties - lightness, resistance to air and organic acids - aluminum and duralumin (an alloy with copper, magnesium and manganese) are widely used in technology. Aluminum is a worthy competitor to copper in the electrical field. Chemical and food industry... Duralumin is irreplaceable in radio engineering, in construction. Classically, we cannot imagine aircraft construction without duralumin - because of its combination of strength and lightness.
Copper and the electrical industry are inseparable. It has a number of valuable qualities: high electrical and thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, and others. Thanks to them, it is used in radio electronics and instrument making. Its alloy - brass - has higher strength in comparison with copper, and is more widely used in mechanical engineering.

There are several common methods for cutting non-ferrous metal, depending on the type and density of the product. Non-ferrous metal cutting takes place at high temperatures. If the product needs precision and a perfect edge, mechanical cutting is used. This should also include countersinking, metal drilling, grinding, turning and milling.

There are several popular methods for cutting non-ferrous metal, the first class of accuracy:

  • cutting with a grinder;
  • guillotine cabin.

Laser cutting is one of the most advanced technologies. The essence of cutting is the effect of a laser beam on the metal. A large concentration of energy in it, forms a hole on the metal sheet, where part of the material evaporates, and part of the molten metal is blown out by a powerful stream of gases under high pressure.

Laser cutting is widely used for shaped cutting of metal sheets. It allows you to model parts of any shape, the edges of which remain perfectly flat and do not require grinding. The method eliminates deformation of the product, but is suitable for small metal thicknesses (up to 5 mm).

Plasma cutting of non-ferrous metals is carried out using a mixture of gases supplied under pressure. As a result, the metal is partially burned out, melted and blown out under the pressure of the gas flow. This method cutting takes place under the influence of high temperatures, reaching 15000-20000 degrees Celsius and is applied to almost all types of metal. Plasma cutting is distinguished by high productivity, it is several times faster than laser, mechanical and waterjet cutting. After such cutting, the edges of the metal are uniform, without irregularities and do not require additional processing. Plasma cutting is considered the most economical method for cutting metal.
Plasma cutting is widely used for cutting aluminum and its alloys, copper, stainless steel.

Waterjet cutting is versatile and suitable for almost any type of metal. It is based on a mixture of water and abrasive sand, which is supplied under pressure through a narrow nozzle. The method is suitable for working with both conductive and non-conductive materials. The cut edge is smooth, does not require any rework. The thickness of the cut metal reaches 300 mm. Waterjet cutting is ideal for cutting aluminum, copper, brass and bronze. Sometimes this is the only way to make a product from these alloys.

The band saw has a high productivity and the speed of the band saw is over 100mm per minute. The incision is even and does not require grinding. The disadvantage of this cutting is the limitation of the dimensions of the cut-off parts, since the length of the band saw is taken into account.

Cutting metal with a grinder is popular, but low productivity. Used for small to medium diameter metal products. Dross and oxides may form at the cut site, not suitable for cutting shaped parts. When cutting high-density aluminum, kerosene drips onto the seam. It is important to observe all safety measures here so that a fire does not occur.

Chopping non-ferrous metal using a guillotine is a set of scissors and knives that are used in procurement work. The method does not differ in jewelry precision, it is not used for curly cutting.

 

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