How to avoid thermal deformation during the cutting process of laser cutting machine?

As a high-precision and high-efficiency cutting equipment, laser cutting machine plays an important role in many fields such as metal processing, advertising production, and electronics. However, during the cutting process, the high energy released by the laser beam will cause the workpiece to heat and may cause thermal deformation, thus affecting the cutting quality and workpiece performance. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore how to avoid thermal deformation during laser cutting. This article will elaborate on the methods to avoid thermal deformation of laser cutting machines from multiple aspects.

1. Analysis of the causes of thermal deformation of laser cutting machines

During the laser cutting process, the reasons for the thermal deformation of the workpiece due to heat mainly include the following aspects:

‌ Laser beam energy concentration‌: After the laser beam is focused by the lens, it can generate a high temperature of thousands or even tens of thousands of degrees near the focus, causing the workpiece material to melt and evaporate rapidly. This highly concentrated energy will cause severe local heating of the workpiece, resulting in thermal deformation.

‌ Differences in material properties‌: There are differences in the physical properties of different materials such as thermal expansion coefficient and thermal conductivity. During the laser cutting process, these differences will cause uneven heating of the workpiece, resulting in thermal deformation.

‌Influence of machine tool structure‌: The machine tool structure of the laser cutting machine also has a certain influence on thermal deformation. For example, the machine tool's column, spindle box and other components may deform after being heated, which will affect the cutting accuracy.

2. Methods to avoid thermal deformation of laser cutting machines

For the above-mentioned causes of thermal deformation, the following measures can be taken to avoid or reduce thermal deformation:

‌Control temperature rise and reduce heat source‌

‌Forced cooling‌: Force cooling of the heating parts of the laser cutting machine, such as using cooling fans or water cooling systems, to reduce the temperature of the machine tool and reduce thermal deformation.

‌Temperature balance‌: By heating the low-temperature parts of the machine tool, the temperature of each part of the machine tool tends to be consistent, reducing the warping deformation caused by temperature difference.

‌Improve machine tool structure‌

‌Optimize layout‌: Rationally design the machine tool structure, such as using a double-column mechanism instead of a single-column mechanism to improve the rigidity and stability of the machine tool and reduce thermal deformation.

‌Reduce the total amount of thermal deformation‌: Try to reduce the distance between the spindle center and the spindle to the ground to reduce the total amount of thermal deformation. At the same time, ensure that the temperature rise of the front and rear of the spindle box is consistent to avoid the spindle tilting after deformation.

‌Optimize cutting parameters‌

‌Adjust cutting speed‌: According to the material characteristics and cutting thickness, reasonably adjust the cutting speed to avoid thermal deformation caused by too fast or too slow cutting speed.

‌Select appropriate gas‌: Select appropriate auxiliary gas, such as oxygen, nitrogen, etc. during the cutting process to accelerate the combustion and evaporation of the cutting material and reduce the heat affected zone.

‌Material pretreatment‌

‌Material selection‌: Select appropriate materials according to cutting requirements, and avoid using materials with high reflectivity or large thermal expansion coefficient.

‌Thickness matching‌: Ensure that the material thickness matches the power and cutting capacity of the laser cutting machine to avoid cutting difficulties and thermal deformation caused by excessive thickness.

‌Professional debugging and operation‌

‌Pre-start debugging‌: Professionally debug the entire laser cutting machine before starting to ensure that all components operate normally and reduce thermal deformation caused by equipment failure.

‌Standardized operation‌: Operators should be familiar with the performance and operation methods of the laser cutting machine, follow the operating procedures, and avoid thermal deformation caused by improper operation.

3. Case analysis

Take a laser cutting machine manufacturer as an example. The manufacturer adopted a double-column mechanism and temperature balancing technology in the machine tool design to effectively reduce thermal deformation. At the same time, the manufacturer also provides professional cutting parameter setting guidance to help customers adjust cutting parameters according to material properties and cutting requirements, further reducing the risk of thermal deformation. Through these measures, the manufacturer's laser cutting machine showed good stability and cutting quality during the cutting process.

4. Conclusion and Prospect

Avoiding thermal deformation of laser cutting machines during cutting is a complex and important issue. The risk of thermal deformation can be effectively reduced by controlling temperature rise and reducing heat sources, improving machine tool structure, optimizing cutting parameters, material pretreatment, and professional debugging and operation. With the continuous development and innovation of laser cutting technology, more advanced methods and technologies will be used to avoid thermal deformation of laser cutting machines in the future, providing strong support for the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry.