Many customers need to learn how to choose a fibre laser sources when they buy a metal laser cutting machine. A fibre optic laser is the core component of a metal laser cutter. This is an essential piece of equipment. Now, this article tells you how to choose a fiber laser source.
What is a fiber laser
A fiber optic laser is a laser generating device with three major functional components: pump source, gain medium, and resonant cavity.
The fiber laser source is the core component of the laser cutters. The laser that uses glass fibre as the medium gain forms a high power density under the action of the pump light, causing the laser energy level “particle number inversion”. Laser oscillation output can be included.
How does a fiber laser work
The pump light emitted by the pump source is coupled into the gain medium through a mirror. Since the gain medium is a rare-earth-doped fiber, the pump light is absorbed, and the rare-earth ions that have gripped the photon’s energy undergo an energy level transition and achieve particle count. In an inversion, the inverted particles pass through the resonator, change from the excited state to the ground state, release energy, and form a stable laser output.
How much is a fiber laser source price
There are a lot of fiber laser companies in the market, and they produce many types of lasers with different powers and prices.
- IPG fiber laser source price: $8000-$140000
- Raycus fiber optic laser price: $1000-$100000
- Cloudray jpt laser source price: $800-$5000
- Femto laser machine cost:$1000-$12000
Remarks: The specific fiber laser source price needs to provide the power size to consult laser companies.
Type of fiber laser system
Divided by working method:
- Pulse fiber laser system
- Continuous fiber laser system
The overall growth rate of pulsed lasers is lower than that of medium and high power continuous lasers, and the barriers are common; there are many participants, and the market competition is fierce.
Form of a model
- Single mode
- Multimode
The single-mode fiber laser uses single-mode fiber as the gain medium and only runs the fundamental-mode laser stably. The energy of the single laser is concentrated, and the divergence angle is slight. It is very advantageous in laser processing that requires high energy density, but the power of single-mode lasers is generally below 2KW.
Both fundamental mode and other high-order mode lasers are multimode fiber lasers. Hence, the beam diverges, the spot is more prominent, and the power is higher, which is more suitable for processing that requires a larger heating area.
Where to buy fiber optics laser source
At present, there are many fiber laser manufacturers on the market, and the fiber laser cost ranges from 10,000 US dollars to 200,000 US dollars. The higher the power of fiber lasers, the higher the price. If you want to buy an affordable fiber laser system, you must consider many factors, such as the brand Word of mouth, the manufacturer’s scale, market sales, customer feedback, etc
What are fiber lasers used for
Fiber fiber laser systems can be designed as a whole, with high reliability, good stability, compact structure, low manufacturing cost, low loss, low threshold, high efficiency, and easy-to-achieve small and compact structural design. Therefore, fiber lasers are widely used in optical fiber communication, sensing, industrial processing, national defence and military, and other fields.
- Rail transit: The application of laser welding in manufacturing rail transit vehicles focuses on cutting energy and welding critical components.
- Optical fiber communication: The glass fiber manufacturing cost of fiber lasers is low, the technology is mature, and the advantages of miniaturization and intensification can be considered.
- New material processing: fiber lasers are widely used in further material processing,
- Power battery processing: New energy vehicle battery processing has high cost, safety, and environmental control requirements. Fiber lasers can meet the requirements regarding welding accuracy and equipment stability.
Fiber optic laser VS co2
Working substances:
- Fiber laser : fiber
- Carbon dioxide laser : carbon dioxide, which belongs to gas laser
Power :
- Fiber laser power: 1000w-30w
- Carbon dioxide laser power: 80w-600w
Cutting quality and speed :
Fiber lasers are superior to carbon dioxide lasers;
Use and maintenance cost :
Fiber lasers are lower than carbon dioxide lasers;
Investment terms :
Fiber lasers are slightly higher than carbon dioxide lasers;
Both fiber lasers and carbon dioxide lasers require chillers to cool them down.
7 Principles for Choosing A Fiber Laser Sources
1. Laser beam quality
There are three critical indicators of fiber laser system beam quality.
(1) Beam parameter product BPP
An important indicator is describing the quality of the laser beam.
The smaller the BPP value, the smaller the beam can be focused, the higher the power density, the faster the cutting speed of the sheet, the higher the smoothness of the cut surface, and the cutting of high-reflectivity materials (such as copper) and aluminium. It can improve the cutting production efficiency, quality and application range.
(2) Roundness
The roundness of the light spot describes the uniformity of the energy distribution of the light placed in different directions. The roundness of the light spot has a uniform energy distribution in all orders. When performing non-linear cutting, the smoothness of the cutting surface in all directions and the consistency of the cutting speed can be guaranteed to ensure the quality of the cut product.
(3) Energy distribution of light spot
The energy distribution of the spot is highly circular, uniform, and concentrated, or the closer to the Gaussian distribution, the higher the centre energy of the focused place, and the better the symmetry of the spot. When cutting, “the sharper the edge of the blade”, the faster the cutting speed of the thin plate, the better the smoothness of the cutting surface, and the higher the consistency of the gap in all directions.
2. Fiber laser sources output power stability
Describe the stability of the laser output power in the entire power range (10%-100%) under different output powers and long-term stability.
(1) Output power stability in the entire power range
The lower the stability value, the better the stability of the laser under different output powers, which can ensure the smoothness of the cutting surface and the consistency of the cutting speed when cutting at different thicknesses. It can improve the authenticity of the cut product and ensure the stability of the quality of the cut product.
1.Quality control of core components
The core components determine the overall performance and quality of the laser. Outsourcing core components may make it difficult to control the overall performance and quality of the fiber optic laser, and the performance and quality of the CNC laser cutting machines cannot be maintained. The core components’ life will affect the laser’s failure rate and stamina. The core components’ high service life determines the laser’s low failure rate and long service life, thereby reducing customer downtime and maintenance costs.
2.Redundant hot standby design of laser module
The redundant hot standby design of the laser module can activate the hot standby function when some laser power modules fail and replace the failed power module with a standby power supply. The cutting machine can continue to be used commonly. Due to the failure of some power modules, the customer’s downtime cost is reduced.
5. Laser electronic dehumidifier
When the temperature of the laser cooling system and cooling equipment is lower than the dew point temperature of the surrounding humid air, condensation will occur, which will cause equipment corrosion and malfunction.
6. The degree of protection of the laser cabinet
The laser cabinet’s protection level describes the cabinet’s waterproof and dustproof levels. The high IP cabinet can effectively prevent external dust and water from entering the cabinet, keep the inside of the laser cabinet clean and dry, avoid laser failure due to dust and water entering the cabinet, and reduce the customer’s laser maintenance costs and downtime costs.
7. Electro-optical conversion efficiency (WPE)
Describes the ratio of electrical input power converted to output power. The electro-optical conversion efficiency is high, the power consumption is low at a specific output power, and the laser heat is low, which reduces the customer’s laser power consumption cost and water cooling power consumption cost.
The Future of Fiber Lasers
The future of fiber lasers looks promising. Advancements in materials science and manufacturing techniques are leading to even more powerful and versatile fiber lasers. Researchers are exploring new applications, such as 3D printing and quantum computing.
Conclusion
Fiber lasers are remarkable tools that have found their way into countless applications. Their unique properties, such as high efficiency, compact size, and excellent beam quality, make them the ideal choice for a wide range of tasks. As technology continues to advance, we can expect to see even more innovative applications for fiber lasers in the years to come.
If you want to know more about laser cutting equipment, you can consult us to get the latest equipment quotation.
