[longfortetrading]

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum so apologies if I am asking something that is obvious or amateur.

We are interested in buying a machine that is capable of cutting up to 2mm thick aluminium as well as 10mm thick MDF and acrylic.

The items that we are cutting have a protective plastic film on them to prevent them from being scratched as they are coated with something that can then be printed on with artwork.

The important things for us are:
- Smooth finish of edges and corner
- Ability to cut small and large pieces
- Fast speed so cutting costs are low
- Easy to use software to design shapes to cut out
- Training to ensure we use the machine to full potential

Is this something anyone can help suggest? I am based in the UK and have been researching for a while but I find it so confusing!

Look forward to your reply.

Kind regards,
Sebastian

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
laser power is the key determinant as to how thick a material can be cut and how fast.
2mm Aluminum can probably be cut with as little as 500W, but 1kW or more would be better for faster cutting speed.
Try looking for 1kW fibre lasers and see how much they are worth......that might give you an idea about budget.

Craig

[Tweakie]

I think Craig has answered you question but…

Cutting up to 10mm thick Acrylic in one pass, producing perfectly polished edges, is no problem for a 40Watt CO2 laser machine but 10mm MDF would be difficult (due to the adhesive bonding it all together) and would require multi-pass together with high pressure air-assist.

I don’t think you will be laser cutting 2mm thick aluminium with nice edges as this would require a laser with preferably 2kW of power plus Nitrogen gas-assist. (They can cost around $8,000 per month to rent and for production work consume around $2,000 per month of Nitrogen).