Laser vs. Plasma

[Baileigh Inc]

This was sent to us today from one of our customers.


The part on the left is the cnc plasma cut part on the Baileigh PT-22 using a Thermal Dynamics A40. All that has been done after cutting was an extremely mild media blast to remove the heat markings to better see the finish.

The part of the right is a laser cut part (shown as received from the laser shop).

Both of these are .125" mild steel. The lower radius is for 3/4" tubing and has a 10mm hole.

[Baileigh Inc]

More

[planetxfred]

Nice comparison.
It seems everybody has heard of laser cutting, but a lot of (potential customers) still are unaware of plasma cutting & the benefits of plasma cutting (Primarily speed & cost) while still providing acceptable accuracy. As your pics show, hardly a penny's worth of difference!
Fred

[jimcolt]

Here is an article I wrote over a year ago with some broad comparisons of laser, plasma, water jet and oxy-fuel...

http://www.fabricatingandmetalworking.c ... g-process/

[Stout]

What style of lead in and out did you use on the plasma cut piece?

[Baileigh Inc]

What style of lead in and out did you use on the plasma cut piece?

Straight line

[thefabguy]

Hi everyone...

IMO the best quality almost any part can have, is from a laser. I program an Amada F1 4000w laser, and its unreal how nice the quality is, and the speed too....With that being said, I personally could not afford an F1 or almost any other high end laser. For me, I own a Burntable plasma and the type of parts Im making with it, are not for the precision job market, which is fine. If I were to ever receive a job that is high tolerance and very cosmetic, I would definitely sub it out to a laser house with a high end laser....Just my opinion...

[thefabguy]

Hello all;

First, Id like to say that I'm loving all the learning I'm getting about plasma cutting and so forth...I have been in the manufacturing trade for a while, and been around a lot of cnc turret punches, as well as lasers...One of the best machine manufactures for sheetmetal, (in my opinion) is Amada. I get to program an Amada F1 laser and it amazes me at the power and speed, plus the accuracy. Well, that's a conventional laser....The fiber optic laser is even faster, (much faster) and will cut more materials...I just thought Id post a video of their latest equipment...Kind of cool to watch, but at the same time, I wish I had the funds to get one....

http://youtu.be/8WXDIMbB2pw

[muzza]

Interesting watch, thanks, looks like an expensive setup. Be nice to have but I suppose if I could afford all that then I wouldn't really need it.
Murray

[beefy]

A few months ago I called a small sheet metal shop to ask about the possibility of cutting parts for them. They told me they get there parts (10mm in this case) laser cut and that included the bolt holes. I could probably beat the price a little bit but having seen some basic fabrication parts that have been laser cut, I don't think the guy would be interested in my slightly cheaper price. Holes are perfect, edge is dead straight, no divots or anything.

Air plasma gives a nitrided hardened surface too, which may or may not be an issue for welding. Not sure if laser cut parts don't have this issue. Chatting on welding forums, some express a preference for the straight edge of laser cut parts and others are quite happy with a decent plasma cut steel, but I wonder if they'd had parts cut by precision plasma process using oxy as the cutting gas. Big difference to our toys.

Just took a look at that video, absolutely amazing process. I don't want to look at it any more though, it makes my beloved plasma table feel like a mash hammer with a blunt chisel

Keith.

[jimcolt]

There are many more plasma systems cutting metal parts in the world as compared to laser. The reason being that Plasma is far less costly to purchase, less costly to operate, and provides an adequate cut quality for the vast majority of applications.

Bottom line, if you need higher accuracy parts...then get them laser or water jet cut.....or produced on a cnc milling machine. There is a big difference in plasma cut quality between an air plasma on an "entry level" (under $20k) cnc machine and a precision cnc with a high definition class plasma as well. Still less costly as compared to Laser in both purchase price and operating cost....yet much higher in productivity on metals thicker than 3/16".

It is nice to have so many choices!

Jim Colt Hypertherm

[thefabguy]

I agree plasma's are much more cost effective to operate and purchase. I have operated 2 Mitsubishi lasers and been in shops with Amada lasers. In terms of accuracy and edges quality, the laser is much more accurate in comparison to the 20K plasma. It is also silly to compare a 100K (plus) laser to a 20K plasma. I have a Burntable, and I must say for the price and what Im learning here, plasma's allow a small business to produce parts that work just fine for the money. One thing I just started doing is to cut smaller holes undersize and drill open afterwards. If you need a more precise hole, that is one way to achieve that...Just my opinion. The other huge factor, is set up time. I can setup my machine and have it operating much faster than a laser...

[blueled]

While no one would argue the accuracy of plasma over laser, a properly set up plasma - in conjunction with a good post processor - will give you exceptional value per foot cut over laser. Dual gas plasma systems , those offering a shield gas selection as an option, can cut metal with little or no dross and hole quality that will be acceptable for most industrial applications. Would I build a mechanical stop watch from plasma cut parts ? No. It's a matter of tolerances, budget and application.

Regarding set up time:
Whether you're using True shape, True Hole or Precision Hole (or add your post processor ) technology, initial program set up time - much like an initial Windows installation - is a little time consuming. However, once it is set, it is only a matter of importing the drawing files and making basic selections - material type & thickness, cut amperage and quality level.
As for setting up the cutting machine itself - meaning the torch head consumables and plate alignment - what, 10 minutes?