While you can use stamping machines to cut out your metal parts, laser cutters could be a more effective solution. What are the advantages of using lasers rather than stampers on your metal cutting jobs?
1. Reduced Damage
Stamping machines need to use mechanical force when they cut into metal. The machine has to hit the metal hard enough to break it.
This force can leave some damage behind on cut surfaces. Metals can sometimes crack or fracture after the stamping motion. Or, the metal might weaken if it is put under enough stress. Your parts might not be strong enough for their needs if the stamping machine damages them.
If you use laser cutting, then you reduce the risk of cutting damage. Lasers don't need to use a mechanical force when they cut, and don't leave any adverse effects behind.
2. Better Sheet Efficiency
If you stamp out part shapes from a metal sheet, then you want to use as much of the sheet as possible. This is hard to achieve if you use a stamping method.
The stress that a stamping machine leaves behind when it makes cuts reduces the amount of the sheet you can use. You typically have to space parts further apart because the edges around cut-outs are often weakened or damaged.
If you use laser cutting, then you can use more of a sheet; it will produce more parts for you. The laser won't weaken the area around a cut-out part. So, you don't have to leave much space around already cut areas. This improves your material and cost efficiency.
3. No Finishing Work
If you stamp parts out of metal, then you might have to run secondary finishing processes. A stamping machine uses brute mechanical force to make cuts, so its cuts aren't necessarily going to be smooth or refined.
Therefore, your parts could have rough or sharp edges, or their edges could look dull. Your manufacturer might have to run your parts through other machines to smooth out their edges and improve their finished appearance.
Any extra finishing work you do adds to the time it takes to produce your orders. It also increases your costs.
If you use laser cutting, then the quality of your parts improves. Lasers create smooth edges and good cosmetic surface results. Your parts will be ready immediately after cutting. You get faster delivery and cheaper overall manufacturing costs.
To find out more about laser cutting machines and equipment, contact sheet metal cutting professionals.
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