How to Choose the Type of Laser Head for Fiber Laser Cutting Machine?

Fiber laser cutting machine When cutting different thickness of plates, the focal point of fiber laser beam should be set at different places in order to achieve better cutting effect. In the early application of fiber laser cutting machine, due to the limitation of function, the fiber laser cutting head does not have auto-focus function and can only be manually adjusted manually.

 

With the gradual maturity of laser technology, fiber laser cutting head with auto-focus function was introduced, which changed the traditional manual focus mode. Many customers who buy fiber laser cutting machine for the first time will ask a question, what is the difference between auto focus and manual focus? This article introduces them to you.

 

For manual laser cutting head, if the sheet metal thickness is different, the focal length will be different. That is, when you change from cutting 5mm sheet metal to 6mm, you need to adjust the focus manually to finish the cut. In this way, every time you change to a different thickness of sheet metal, you need to adjust the height of the laser head to find the correct focal length, which will waste some focusing time and lead to longer cutting time.

On the other hand, manual focusing requires high skills of the laser machine operator, because if there is an error during focusing, it will have an impact on the accuracy and productivity of the machine.

 

The auto-focus laser cutting head has a built-in power drive unit, which allows users to set up programs for continuous focusing to complete fast perforation cutting of different thickness materials. With the auto-focus laser head, you only need to find the focus the first time you cut, and then when you cut again, the laser head senses the thickness of the sheet metal and automatically adjusts its height to find the right focus.

 

So how does the auto-focus laser head adjust its focus?

The laser head cannot change the height of the nozzle when cutting metal, i.e. the height of the nozzle does not change, so it cannot be focused by raising the cutting head.

The height of the nozzle cannot be changed, and the focal length of the focusing lens cannot be changed, so the only way to change the position of the lens is to lower the focusing lens and lower the focal length; if the focusing lens is raised, the focus will be raised. Through this principle, the motor is used to adjust the position of the focusing lens up and down to achieve autofocus.

Another autofocus method is to set a variable curvature mirror before the beam enters the focusing lens, and change the divergence angle of the reflected beam by changing the curvature of the mirror, so as to change the focus position.

 

With the auto-focus function, the fiber laser cutting machine can automatically and quickly adjust the focus to the most suitable position when processing metal plates with uneven surfaces. This can significantly improve the cutting effect of the machine and also greatly reduce the piercing time of thick plates.

 

How to choose the type of laser cutting head?

Auto-focus laser heads are more advantageous than manual focus, and therefore more expensive. But if the power of your fiber laser cutting machine is below 1500W, manual laser head can meet your needs. From 1500W onwards, we are equipped with high power fiber laser cutting machine with auto focus laser head to help you cut metal materials quickly.

 

We hope this article can help you learn more about fiber laser cutting machines. For more information, please feel free to contact us.