Laser cutting machine: Manual focus vs Automatic focus

In the early application of CNC fiber laser cutting machine, the function is limited, focusing can only be manually focused because of no automatic focusing function. Manual focusing has certain requirements on the technical level of the operator, as a little carelessness in the operation will affect the accuracy and production efficiency of the product.

Figure 1  Manual focus part

With the continuous improvement of production requirements, laser technology has gradually matured. The advent of new laser heads has changed the traditional manual focusing mode. Automatic focusing has successfully replaced the traditional focusing mode, and the new automatic focusing cutting head has been widely usedas a matter of fact.

The piercing focus of the manually focusing cutting head cannot be adjusted, and the piercing focus is the same as the cutting focus. When piercing thick plates, the energy is insufficient and the piercing speed is slow. The auto-focusing cutting head can automatically adjust the size of the focus during perforation, to increase perforation energy, perforation speed during perforating thick plates.

Figure 2  Production efficiency comparison

In terms of perforation time, the automatic focusing speed is half of manual focusing speed, whereas the cutting efficiency is basically same. However, automatic focusing can reduce the over-melting phenomenon caused by the short overheating time of the materials. The advantage of automatic focusing is obvious, which can significantly improve the production efficiency and greatly reduce the perforation time of cutting thick plate materials. The machine can also quickly adjust the focus to the appropriate position when processing different materials and different thickness of the workpieces.

Figure 3  Perforation time comparison

Therefore, a fiber laser cutting machine with automatic focusing function is better than a manual focusing one mostly. With the progress of science and technology, automatic focusing laser cutting machine will be more practical, the processing efficiency is more outstanding, and thus provide better help for users.