Laser cutting has revolutionized the way industries approach metal fabrication, offering precision, speed, and versatility. While most metals can be easily cut with a laser, copper presents unique challenges due to its high reflectivity and thermal conductivity. However, with the right technology and equipment, cutting copper on laser is a viable solution, especially in industries such as electronics, automotive, and aerospace.
In this article, we’ll explore the challenges of cutting copper on laser, the solutions that have emerged, and future trends for this evolving technology.
Principle of Copper Laser Cutting
Laser cutting is the use of high-energy laser beams to locally heat the material to melt or evaporate it, thereby achieving cutting. Copper is a highly reflective metal, which means that it has a low absorption rate for lasers, so special attention needs to be paid to the setting of laser parameters during the cutting process to ensure effective cutting.
Advantages of Lazer Cut Copper Sheet
High precision and consistency: Laser cutting can achieve micron-level accuracy, suitable for the production of complex shapes and delicate patterns.
Speed
Flexibility: Laser cutting machines can be easily adjusted to adapt to copper materials of different thicknesses and shapes to meet diverse production needs.
Challenges in Cutting Copper with Lasers
Copper is an attractive material for many applications due to its excellent electrical conductivity and durability. However, its very properties make it difficult to cut using traditional laser technologies.
- High Reflectivity: Copper’s surface reflects a large portion of the laser beam, especially when using conventional lasers like CO2. This reduces the effectiveness of the laser and increases the risk of damage to the equipment.
- Thermal Conductivity: Copper is also highly conductive, meaning it quickly dissipates heat. This makes it harder to reach the temperatures required for a clean, precise cut, and can lead to uneven results or melting of the edges.
- Cut Quality: Achieving smooth, precise edges without burrs or warping is challenging due to the metal’s tendency to conduct heat away from the cutting zone.
Laser Types Best Suited for Cutting Copper
Fiber Lasers vs. CO2 Lasers: While CO2 lasers are common for many materials, they struggle with copper due to the high reflectivity. Fiber lasers, however, use shorter wavelengths (typically 1 micron), which are absorbed more effectively by copper. This makes fiber lasers a much better option for cutting copper.
Pulsed vs. Continuous Lasers: Pulsed lasers can offer more control when cutting copper, as they deliver energy in bursts rather than a continuous stream. This helps in reducing excessive heating and ensures cleaner cuts with less risk of damaging the material or equipment.
Specialized Lasers: There are now lasers specifically designed for cutting reflective materials, offering greater efficiency and safety.
How to Cut Copper Sheet Metal
Use of Assist Gases: Gases like nitrogen, oxygen, or compressed air are often used to blow away molten material and enhance the cutting process. Nitrogen is frequently chosen because it helps prevent oxidation, ensuring cleaner edges and a more polished finish.
Optimizing Laser Power and Speed: Careful adjustment of the laser’s power settings and cutting speed is critical to avoid overheating the copper. Slower speeds can improve the quality of the cut, especially on thicker copper sheets.
Coatings to Reduce Reflectivity: Some manufacturers apply a thin coating to the copper surface to reduce its reflectivity. This allows the laser to be more effective, ensuring that more of the beam’s energy is absorbed.
Post-Processing: Even with optimized settings, post-processing like deburring or polishing may be necessary to ensure the edges are smooth and free of imperfections.
Laser cut copper sheet
Copper is a highly reflective material and needs to be cut with an “anti-reflection device”.
Nitrogen gas is used for laser cut copper thickness below 1mm;
Oxygen is used for fiber laser cutting copper thickness below 2mm.
When the laser cutting copper sheet plates or pipes, nitrogen is the best auxiliary gas.
When the thickness of metal copper reaches 2MM, it cannot be processed only with nitrogen, and oxygen must be added to oxidize it to achieve perfect cutting.
Applications of Laser Incising Copper
Copper is widely used across several industries, and Copper laser cutting techniques is becoming an increasingly popular method for shaping and fabricating copper components.
Electronics: production of printed circuit boards (PCBs). Laser cutting offers the precision needed to create intricate designs without damaging the delicate components of a PCB.
Electrical Connectors: Copper’s high conductivity makes it ideal for electrical connectors and contacts used in power distribution systems.
Automotive and Aerospace: copper is used in components like heat exchangers and electrical wiring systems, where high precision cutting ensures that parts fit and function perfectly.
Decorative Items and Jewelry: Laser-cut copper sheet is also used for decorative purposes, such as in jewelry and artistic sculptures, where detailed, intricate designs are needed.
What Should Pay Attention to When Laser Incising Copper
Material Thickness: The thickness of the copper sheet will dictate the required laser power and cutting speed. Thicker sheets need more power but also require slower speeds to ensure a clean cut.
Speed vs. Quality: There’s often a trade-off between speed and cut quality. Faster cutting might be more efficient for certain applications, but it can lead to rougher edges. For precision industries like electronics, slower, more deliberate cuts are preferred.
Energy Consumption: Lasers require a significant amount of energy, particularly when fiber laser copper cutting. Careful planning is needed to balance energy usage with cutting efficiency.
Equipment Maintenance: Cutting copper with lasers can leave residue , which may lead to maintenance issues over time. Regular cleaning and servicing of the laser machine is essential to ensure consistent performance.
How to prevent errors caused by material reflection?
Use anti-high reflection technology: Some lasers are designed with special anti-high reflection (ABR) technology, such as the ABR technology of Guanghui Laser (GW), which can set a reflective detection and stripping device inside the laser output head to effectively protect the internal components of the laser from damage by reflected light and ensure the stable operation of the laser.
Adjust laser parameters: Select appropriate laser power, cutting speed and auxiliary gas to improve the absorption rate of laser by copper materials. For example, using higher power can improve the cutting quality of copper materials.
Use special processes: By using special processes, such as pre-coating a layer of laser absorbing material on the surface of copper materials, the reflectivity of laser can be reduced and the absorption of laser by materials can be improved.
Use appropriate wavelengths: Different materials have different absorption rates for different wavelengths of light. Copper has a higher absorption rate for certain wavelengths of laser, so choosing the right wavelength can reduce the error caused by reflection.
Use fiber lasers: The wavelength of fiber lasers is 1070nm, and copper has a higher absorption rate for lasers of this wavelength, so fiber lasers are more suitable for cutting copper materials.
Optimize cutting head design: Some cutting heads are designed with anti-reflection light function, which can reduce the impact of reflected light on the equipment.
Use auxiliary gas: Using auxiliary gas, such as nitrogen or argon, during the cutting process can reduce oxidation and improve the quality of the cutting edge, while helping to blow away the molten material and reduce the impact of reflected light.
Control the processing environment: Keep the working environment clean and reduce the impact of dust and contaminants on the reflection of the laser beam.
Laser focus position control: By detecting and controlling the laser focus position, ensure the correct interaction between the laser beam and the copper material, and reduce cutting problems caused by focus position errors.
Future of Industrial Laser Cutters for Copper Technology
Innovations in Laser Technology: Advances in laser design, including higher-powered fiber lasers and improved cooling systems, are making it easier to cut copper with precision.
Automation and AI: The integration of automation and AI in laser cutting systems is another emerging trend. Automated laser cutters can adjust parameters in real-time to optimize the cutting process, improving efficiency and reducing errors.
Industry Trends: As industries like electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy, and 5G infrastructure continue to grow, the demand for laser-cut copper components will increase, driving further innovations in this field.
What Are the Environmental Requirements for Copper Alloys and Laser Cutting?
- Working environment
Temperature and humidity: Laser cutting for metals should be operated under suitable temperature and humidity conditions. Too high or too low temperature may affect the performance and cutting quality of the laser. The generally recommended operating temperature is 15°C to 30°C, and the humidity should be kept between 40% and 70%.
Ventilation: A good ventilation system is essential, especially when using combustion-supporting gases such as oxygen, to prevent the accumulation of harmful gases and ensure the safety of operators.
- Auxiliary gas requirements
- Oxygen use: When copper slicing via laser, high-pressure oxygen (100 to 300 psi) is usually required, which helps to improve cutting efficiency and reduce the reflectivity of copper. The purity of oxygen needs to reach more than 99.95% to ensure cutting quality.
- Nitrogen use: Nitrogen can also be used as an auxiliary gas in cases where oxidation needs to be reduced. Nitrogen is usually used for higher quality cutting to avoid surface oxide film.
- Material preparation
- Cleaning: Make sure that the surface of the copper is free of oil, dust and impurities, which is crucial to ensure cutting quality.
- Thickness inspection: Select the appropriate laser power and cutting speed according to the material thickness. Thicker copper requires higher power and appropriate adjustment of cutting parameters.
- Safety measures
- Protective equipment: Operators should wear appropriate protective equipment, such as laser protective glasses, gloves and protective clothing to protect themselves from laser radiation and thermal radiation.
- Equipment maintenance: Regularly inspect and maintain the laser cutting machine and its auxiliary equipment to ensure its normal operation and reduce the risk of failure.
- Reflection and damage protection
Reflection control: Since copper is highly reflective of infrared rays, measures must be taken to protect the laser and its optical components from reflection damage. This can be achieved by installing a “reflection absorption” device.
Conclusion
Despite the challenges that come with cutting copper on laser, advancements in technology and technique have made it a reliable method for producing high-quality copper components. Whether you’re working in electronics, automotive, or even jewelry design, laser cutting for metals offers the precision and flexibility needed to work with this difficult material.
By selecting the right laser type, optimizing the cutting process, and considering key factors like thickness and speed, businesses can take full advantage of the benefits industrial laser cutters for copper. As this technology continues to improve, it’s likely that even more industries will turn to laser-cut copper as a critical material for their projects.
