Laser Cut Oxide Removal

Otherwise adhesion failure customer complaints and warranty claims will result â said tom fabek vp sales marketing.

Laser cut oxide removal.

A fabricator s dilemma july 25 2018 anyone who cuts steel parts with a co2 laser and uses oxygen as an assist gas is familiar with the strip also known as laser oxide that forms as a result of the process around the contour of the cut. Removal of oxide layers oxide layers as well as anodized layers absorb the laser light particularly well and can be evaporated very effectively. This oxidation or scale left over from thermal cutting can cause problems for metal finishers and end customers alike. Oxide removal laser oxide scale removal as laser and plasma cutting are much more cost effective than die cutting it is quickly becoming the norm for part.

Using the laser s micron precision oxide can be removed in controlled layers and from predefined areas. Rodger talbert writes in his book paint technology handbook that sanding grinding chipping and blasting are effective means of removing the oxide layer from laser cut parts. â the oxide layer formed during the laser cutting process manifests itself as a loosely adhering scale that easily chips and cracks from the metal surface upon impact. Laser oxide removal as the use of thermal cutting processes in the metalworking industry has increased substantially the need to remove the oxidation produced by those processes has also increased.

Manually finishing these parts he adds is quite difficult because of high labor costs inconsistent practices and odd shapes that are not easily manipulated. Visit laserax s laser cleaning application page for efficiency https bit ly 2cvblxj the process requires no. Acid pickling is the use of an acid to dissolve either the oxide scale or a thin layer of steel under the scale allowing the scale to fall off. Even at the speed at which laser cutting machines operate harrison said the oxide removal equipment can keep up.

Metal oxide removal can be automated through cleverly built laser cleaning machines. It takes about 20 or 30 seconds for a part to process through the machine. Mechanical methods of scale removal are also not effective on intricate cuts which is one of the reasons to use a laser in the first place. Laser oxide removal can be used to remove those contaminants without introducing impurities in the base metal.

The oxides adhere poorly to the metal when painted which then causes paint to chip and flake. The second method which is preferred is acid pickling.