Laser Cutting Machines for Industrial Sheet Metal Processing
Laser cutting machines cut sheet and plate without touching the material. A focused beam melts the material in a narrow kerf and a gas jet clears the melt out of the cut. No tool wears and no mechanical force acts on the workpiece, so even fine contours come out clean and accurate. In the workshop the same machines are called laser cutting systems or laser cutters. KNUTH supplies CNC laser cutting machines with a fibre laser source in several table sizes and power classes, from a compact machine for a fabrication shop to a high power system for large format plate.
Fibre Laser or CO2 Laser: Which Technology Fits
For metal the fibre laser, also written fiber laser, is today's standard. Efficiency is much higher than on a CO2 laser, which matters where electricity is expensive and supply is not always stable. No gas is consumed to generate the beam, and there is no mirror optic in the beam path to align or replace. On thin and medium plate the fibre laser cuts faster. Non-metals such as wood, acrylic and textiles stay the domain of the CO2 laser. Every machine in this category works with a fibre laser source and is built for metal.
Machine Sizes and Power Classes
The range is graded by table format and laser power, in four steps:
- Compact class: square table format and a small footprint, for workshops, prototypes, maintenance and small batches.
- Standard format with extendable table: the common plate format, with a motorised extendable table, gas console and filter unit.
- Shuttle table series: the same power spectrum plus a second table, which is unloaded and loaded while the machine keeps cutting.
- High power class: the highest power classes for thick plate and short cycle times, in the largest table formats.
These two figures also drive the investment more than anything else. Table dimensions, laser power and travels per series are listed in the machine overview above.
Materials, Plate Thicknesses and Cutting Gas
In focus are structural steel, stainless steel and aluminium. Steel cutting is the everyday job in this market, from thin sheet for panels and enclosures to heavier plate for structural work. As laser power rises the cuttable thickness grows, and at a given thickness the cutting time falls. Three inputs decide the power class you need: the material, your heaviest plate and the cut edge quality your customer accepts. Oxygen is economical as cutting gas on thicker steel, nitrogen delivers oxide free edges on stainless steel and aluminium.
CNC Control and Programming
Laser cutting machines are CNC machines throughout, and a conventional version does not exist. The contouring control guides the cutting head across the plate and regulates feed rate, laser power, gas pressure and focus position together. Programming runs through nesting software: geometry comes from CAD, the software lays the parts out on the plate and generates the cutting programme. Parameters for common material and thickness combinations are stored, which shortens setting up. A CNC laser cutting machine is this combination of contouring control, process control and programming at the computer.
Automation: Shuttle Table, Loading and Extraction
The bottleneck on a modern machine is rarely the cutting time, it is the handling around it. The shuttle table is therefore the first automation step that pays: one table is unloaded and loaded while the beam keeps running on the other. On several series it is standard equipment. Loading and unloading systems and plate storage towers go further, and whether that pays off at your volumes is something we work through with you. Laser cutting also produces smoke and fine dust, and on the larger series an extraction and filter unit is part of the scope of supply.
Applications and Industries
In Sub-Saharan Africa laser cutting machines are found in mining supply and equipment repair, oil and gas fabrication, heavy engineering, structural steel work and subcontract manufacturing. The same machine cuts wear plates and brackets as well as thin sheet for panels and covers. The matching machines are in Sheet Metal Processing, for example Press Brakes and Guillotine Shears. For thick plate and simpler contours a Plasma Cutting Machine is often the more economical choice. For the highest accuracy on hardened materials, Wire Cut EDM is the right process.
Accessories and Consumables
A laser cutting machine needs wear parts continuously. Cutting nozzles, protective glasses and filter elements wear in operation. We keep these parts in the programme permanently: Laser Cutting Consumables. Plan them in from the start, because together with electricity and cutting gas they determine the cost per cut metre. Further workshop and machine equipment is listed under Machine accessories.
Why KNUTH
KNUTH has supplied machine tools for more than 100 years and works in Sub-Saharan Africa with local service partners. Every machine is built and tested to European testing standards and inspected with documentation before it ships, and we send the documentation on request. Quality control takes place in Germany. As a supplier rather than a laser manufacturer we select the series and components, test them and stand behind machine, accessories and service. Machines are quoted per configuration, so one figure covers the machine, the equipment you need and the delivery to your site.
Service, Spare Parts and Availability
Installation, commissioning and operator training are available on request, and the scope is set out in the quotation. After handover local service partners look after the machine, with parts supply and technical support from Germany behind them. Spare parts supply is guaranteed for 10 years for every machine. The lead time depends on size and configuration, and the quote states it. Are you looking at laser cutting machines for sale in South Africa and need a recommendation or a quote? Contact us by email or phone. We go through table format, power class and automation with you.
Further Machine Categories at a Glance
Here is an overview of our machine range. Select a category to learn more about individual machines and their technical data.
