Cnc Plasma Vs Laser

The bottom line for your bottom line when comparing plasma versus laser.

Cnc plasma vs laser.

Depending on material thickness plasma can cut up to 200 ipm inches per minute. Laser cutters and their technology are quickly competing with the cutting speeds of plasma cutters. The cutting slot of the plasma cutting machine is slightly larger than that of the laser cutting machine. Laser cutting machine has faster cutting speed.

Laser high cost but very high quality fast cutting of most metals some non metallic materials. Lasers are more effective if your metal surface is on the thinner side and also if you need to cut other materials such as wood. The speed can reach 10m min of laser cutter which is much faster than the plasma cutter. Laser is limited to metalics some plastics and fiberglass some fabric.

A trotec laser is at least twice as fast as a router for most applications. A laser is able to cut thick material in one pass where as a cnc mill will need to do multiple passes to cut the same thickness. Cnc fiber laser tables are slightly faster than co2 cutters on all thicknesses. Plasma cutting is a more dangerous process than laser cutting yet it is also best at cutting thick materials.

Plasma is the most limited. Not ideal for thinner material worth considering if frequently cutting heavy steel plate. The aforementioned safety considerations also drive up the cost of operating a laser cutting system since special accommodations must be made. Most cnc plasma cutting machines run at about 15 hour whereas laser cutting machines generally cost around 20 hour to operate.

Plasma table cutters currently have the fastest cutting speed amongst the three options. Cnc plasma affordable quality fast cutting of most metals with the right equipment oxy suitable only for carbon steel. Laser vs cnc mill precision one of the most contributing factors to a laser purchase is the speed compared to a cnc mill.