Laser Cutting Speed Optimizer

Cutting speeds vary dramatically with material thickness following an inverse relationship:

• Mild Steel: 1mm = 8,000-12,000 mm/min, 3mm = 2,000-4,000 mm/min, 6mm = 800-1,500 mm/min, 10mm = 300-600 mm/min
• Stainless Steel: Requires 20-30% slower speeds than mild steel
• Aluminum: Can handle 50-80% faster speeds than steel

Key adjustments: Higher laser power allows faster speeds, oxygen assist gas enables 30-50% faster cutting in steel, precision cuts need 15-25% speed reduction for optimal edge quality.

Assist gas selection dramatically affects optimal cutting speeds and quality:

• Oxygen Cutting (Steel): Enables reactive cutting with 30-50% higher speeds, optimal for 3-25mm thickness, requires 1-3 bar pressure
• Nitrogen Cutting (Stainless/Aluminum): Provides oxide-free cuts, requires 5-15 bar pressure, reduces speeds by 20-30% but eliminates post-processing
• Air Cutting: Cost-effective for thin materials (<3mm), provides moderate speeds, suitable for prototyping
• Argon Cutting: Essential for titanium and reactive materials, similar speeds to nitrogen but prevents oxidation

Speed-quality optimization depends on application requirements and material characteristics:

• High-Speed Cutting (Productivity Focus): Increase speed by 25-40% above optimal, accept Ra 3.2-6.3μm surface finish, suitable for rough cutting and internal features
• Balanced Cutting (Standard Production): Use calculated optimal speed, achieve Ra 1.6-3.2μm finish, minimal dross formation, good dimensional accuracy
• Quality Cutting (Precision Parts): Reduce speed by 15-25%, achieve Ra 0.8-1.6μm finish, excellent edge perpendicularity, minimal heat affected zone (HAZ)

Consider post-processing costs: High-speed cuts may require secondary operations that offset time savings.

Power density (power/beam area) is the critical parameter for speed optimization:

• Power Effects: Higher power enables proportionally faster speeds - doubling power can increase speed by 60-80% in thick materials
• Beam Diameter Effects: Smaller beams (0.1-0.15mm) provide higher power density for faster cutting but require precise focus control, larger beams (0.2-0.3mm) offer more process stability but lower speeds

Optimization Zones:

• 60-80% power utilization: Optimal speed-to-quality ratio
• >90% power: May cause excessive heat input and quality issues
• <50% power: Results in inefficient slow cutting

Beam quality (M²) significantly impacts efficiency: M² < 1.3 allows maximum speeds, M² > 2.0 requires 20-30% speed reduction.

Systematic troubleshooting approach for speed-related quality issues:

• Dross Formation (Excessive Speed): Reduce speed by 10-20%, increase assist gas pressure by 20-30%, verify focus position (±0.1mm accuracy)
• Incomplete Cuts (Insufficient Energy): Reduce speed by 15-25%, increase power if available, check for contaminated lenses, verify material thickness accuracy
• Rough/Wavy Edges (Wrong Speed Zone): Fine-tune speed ±5-10% around calculated optimum, adjust focus position ±0.05mm, optimize gas flow rate
• Burn Marks/Excessive HAZ (Too Slow): Increase speed by 10-15%, reduce power slightly, switch to nitrogen assist gas, improve material clamping

Always verify: Beam alignment, lens cleanliness, gas pressure stability, material flatness, and nozzle condition for optimal performance.