Metal laser cutters, a staple of manufacturers and the design industry, can be used for a range of different precise cutting tasks, and result in a variety of projects or designs. Fibre laser cutters are the latest technology when it comes to cutting sheet metals, and are more powerful than CO2 laser cutters, they can cut more precisely, and are perfect for industrial, training and educational metalworking environments.
We’ll take a look at what you can use a metal laser cutter for by focusing on the fibre laser cutter.
What can I cut?
Fibre laser cutters are best known for cutting through thicker materials such as mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium. The fibre lasers in our range can cut metals up to 20mm thick, depending on the power of your machine.
A CO2 cutter can easily cut materials like cardboard, acrylic, and wood, but a fibre laser cutter is the go-to machine for metal cutting. It’s also the best choice for processes such as surface etching part numbers and bend lines to aid secondary processes.
What can I make?
Fibre laser cutters are often used in industrial settings for metal working and construction. But if you’re a designer or educator, the possibilities for creative results are boundless with metal laser cutter machines! If you can draw it, chances are you can cut it out with a laser.
You can start small with something like a keyring, bookmark or coaster—we have a few guides on how to create things like this available on our projects page. These items are often commercially made out of plastic, wood or leather, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t go ahead and make them out of metal too.
Once you’re feeling ambitious, you could move up to something like jewellery, signs for businesses, flat pack products designed for 3D assembly, or even the frames and casings for electronics, which look the best when cut out of metal. There are even some impressive decorative clocks made with laser cutters, such as the type you might find made bespoke on small-business online shops. With the time of year, you could even look into designing a personalised gift or Christmas ornament, such as this lovely little metal bird fit for the garden.
What else can you do?
At Boxford, we sell a wide variety of laser cutting and engraving machines. You can see our range of fibre and CO2 laser cutters and engravers here to browse more of the features of these machines and find out which one is right for you.