[Kent Lipskie]

New to lasers so I have a question regarding how large of a unit I would need to cut .075 stainless steel (matt finish). Tolerances are +/-.03, also a question of what cutting speed I could expect from a given size. I realize there are alot of variables but any help would be appreaciated.
Thanks Kent.

[vipers95]

First of all a CO2 laser will not cut it. You need a YAG laser and it all depends upon the power you purchase.

[coleong]

0.075" is approx 1.9mm stainless steel.

The cheapest way to cut is to use the plasma cutter.

An example, from an old cutting parameter for a 1200w CO2 laser the cutting speed is approx 3000mm per min using N2 high pressure as the cutting gas.

And 1200w can only cut up to 3mm (no burr) using n2 as the cutting gas.

[jerlas]

I use a 4000 watt Trumpf laser for cutting various thicknesses of steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. I have cut .074 (14ga)stainless steel at 245 inches/ minute with nitrogen as the assist gas. If you use Air instead of Nitrogen you can get up to 360 inches/ minute. My machine can accomodate up to 7' by 20' sheets.