CNC METAL FABRICATION MACHINES

Metal fabrication machines are widely used in workshops of interiors, sign, art and architecture etc. Whether you’re looking for a classic design or ultra-modern aesthetic, metal is your strongest choice. Considering high precision and affordable metal fabrication work, omni offer

Fiber Laser Cutting Machine
Plasma Cutting Machine
Water Jet Cutting Machine
Laser Cutting / Welding Robot

OMNI is a reliable cnc metal cutting solution provider with 14 years of industry experience and can provide you with the best solution of cnc metal cutting machines.

CNC METAL CUTTING MACHINE

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FIBER LASER CUTTING MACHINE

Fiber Laser cutting systems use a low-maintenance solid-state laser source to generate a laser beam that is delivered through fiber optic cable to the laser cutting head. This fiber transfers the beam with a beam quality tailored for cutting metal.

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WATER JET CUTTING MACHINE

This water jet machine can cut almost any material to 8″ (200 mm) thick at maximum cutting speeds with minimum Capital outlay. We build the water jet cutting machine to offering solution that will provide every customer with a Water jet machine.

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PLASMA CUTTING MACHINE

OMNI cnc plasma cutting machines are good at of smooth cutting edge and clean cut. Products are ideally suited for automotive fabrication, structural steel cutting, construction, sign shops, metal fabrication,decorative fencing.

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LASER CUTTING / WELDING ROBOT

Robots can cut in any plane, unlike traditional machines, and are therefore ideal for any cutting route. Within its workspace, a robot may place the laser cutting head in practically any position and direction.

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Best CNC Machines for Metal Cutting / Welding Project

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Best CNC Metal Cutting Machine for Metal? Fiber Laser, Plasma, Waterjet , Which one to choose?

Today’s consumer has a wide array of options for cnc metal cutting machine, options that can seem overwhelming. However, when it comes to high production best cnc machines for metal cutting, most machines fit into one of 3 categories: plasma, water jet, laser.

Today’s plasma, water jet and laser cutting machines are both highly precise thanks to computer numeric control (CNC), but all have distinct advantages and excel at different applications.

In this article, we hope to clarify your choices by briefly explaining plasma cutting, water jet cutting, and laser cutting and giving you the information you need to select the system that’s right for your needs.

HOW THEY WORK

How Does Laser Cutting Work?

Laser cutting, however, uses laser optics and CNC to direct a focused beam of high-powered light. This light melts, burns, or vaporizes the material, forming a narrow slot.
At the same time, auxiliary gas blows out slag from the cutting slot, eliminating the need for a secondary process.
Laser cutting is typically used for industrial manufacturing applications to cut a variety of materials, from flat-sheet metal to structural and piping materials.

How Does Plasma Cutting Work?

Simply put, a CNC plasma cutting machine uses the power of electrical current and compressed gas to cut through metal.
Plasma cutting technology was first developed in the 1950s in order to cut copper, stainless steel, aluminum, and other metals that could not be cut with flame. Plasma cutters utilize concentrated electrical currents and high-velocity gas flow, usually oxygen or nitrogen.
This creates intense heat, which melts a narrow slot in the metal.
The gas then propels the molten material from the bottom of the cut. Plasma cutting machines are often used in fabrication shops, construction, automotive repair and restoration, and other similar industries.

How Does Waterjet Cutting Work?

A waterjet cutter is an industrial tool that is used for cutting a wide range of materials with high precision.
This is a cold cutting process that utilizes a high-pressure water jet or a combination of water and abrasive (usually garnet), which cut down materials crossing its path. It is more like an erosion process that is occurring at a very high speed.

Only water or the mixture of water and abrasives with high pressure is sprayed out over the target material through a ceramic nozzle.
This immense pressure (usually more than 50,000 psi) creates a fine cutting stream at the tip of the nozzle. This will break down any material that stands in its way.

The nozzle will move along a predetermined path that is set through the associated CNC software.

WHAT THEY CUT – BEST CNC MACHINES FOR METAL

What Laser Can Cut?

Laser’s main advantage over plasma is the wide variety of materials it’s capable of cutting.

In addition to most types of metal, laser cutters can handle wood, glass, ceramic, rubber, PVC, and even leather and textiles.

Of course, you may have to configure 2 kinds of laser source to cut if you wanna cut both metal and nonmetal materials.

Laser cutters can also perform a wide variety of cuts at narrow kerf widths (0.006” to 0.015”) and excel at fine, detailed cuts such as small holes, intricate notching, and delicate engraving.

Laser is faster when cutting thinner metals. Laser machines are capable of cutting thinner metals at over 1000 IPM and can produce a cut edge squareness of less than 1 degree.

However, laser can cause some heat distortion, particularly on thicker plate. It is also slower than plasma on most thicknesses, typically ranging from 20 to 70 IPM.

What Plasma Can Cut?

Plasma cutters are good at cutting metal thicker than 1 inch.

It is with less machine and operation cost when you cut metal more than 1 inch comparing fiber laser.

But it is with lower precision for very thick metal comparing water jet.

When you cut metal over 70mm, water jet cutting machine is with strong capability to cut through at high precision.

Besides this, plasma can’t cut wood and any other material that is heat-sensitive using this.

You can only cut mild steel, stainless steel, Aluminum, Copper, Brass, and Carbon steel.

What Water Jet Can Cut?

From wood to hardened steel or titanium, waterjet cutters can cut almost anything.

It is not limited by the thickness of the material or the flatness of the material surface.

The waterjet cutter only uses the fine stream of high-pressure water to cut soft materials like rubber or wood.

Abrasives are added to the high-pressure waterjet to deal with tough metals like aluminum or steel.

PRO & CONS

Advantages & Disadvantages of Laser Cutting

PRO
Can cut a variety of non-metal and metals.
Very energy efficient compared to waterjet cutting.
Requires minimal human involvement which minimizes the possibility of accidents.
Allows for cutting of complex shapes at faster speeds without the need for tooling.
Has a faster cutting speed and is suitable for batch production.

CONS
Can create microfractures on some metals.
Compressed gases are expensive.
Can produce hazardous and toxic fumes.
Laser-cutting machines are at costly high.
High power consumption

Advantages & Disadvantages of Plasma Cutting

PRO
Can cut a wide range of metals.
Easy to learn and operate. most cost effective
Rapid cutting speed.
Impressive hole quality

CONS
Produces large heat-affected zones (HAZ).
Less accuracy compared to waterjet and laser cutting.
Can produce micro fracturing to some metals during the process.
Produces toxic fumes during cutting.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Water Jet Cutting

PRO
Can cut almost anything.
Does not overheat the material adjacent to the cut thus maintaining its form.
Doesn’t produce any hazardous fumes or waste.
Produces highly accurate cuts.
Works perfectly even on rough surfaces and ultra thick materials

CONS
Abrasive materials are usually costly
Noisy, unless when cutting is done underwater
Has slow cutting speed for most metals.
Process generates abrasive dust that can hinder movement in machine parts.
Works perfectly even on rough surfaces and ultra thick materials

PRODUCTION

Cutting Speed

The speed of operation can vary depending on how many cutting tools you have on your machine.

For example, if you have 3 waterjet cutting heads on your machine, it will significantly increase the cutting speed.

However, for the sake of the evaluation, I will only compare the cutting speed of smaller machines that have only one cutting tool.

When it comes to cutting speed, waterjet and laser cutters fall far behind plasma cutters.

Plasma cutters can cut most of the metals at an unprecedented speed that ranges from 60 to 200 inches per minute.

A laser can cut 20 to 70 inches per minute and a waterjet can cut with a speed of 1 to 15 inches per minute depending on the thickness and type of the material.

Cut Edge Quality

Cut edge quality refers to the squareness of the finished edge, as well as how much dross adheres to the bottom of the cut. The highest quality cut would usually be from Waterjet, which gives a very square cut with no dross, and no pierce spatter. Laser is a very close second place, because it also yields a very square cut, but on thicker mild steel or on stainless steel it can leave some dross and generates some pierce spatter. By comparison with these two processes, plasma cutting would have the lowest cut quality. Plasma will always have some edge bevel angle and often causes some dross. It also generates much more pierce spatter than laser, due to the larger kerf width.

Cut Part Precision

Cut part precision is a measure of the actual resulting part size compared to the programmed part size, and also includes consideration of the kerf width, which determines how small of an inside contour can be cut. Heat distortion should also be considered, as it can throw off the finished part size as well as cause the parts to warp. Again, waterjet would be the best precision, usually in the neighborhood of +/- 0.005”, and having a kerf width around 0.035”. Waterjet also causes no heat-distortion. Laser would be very close second place, with typical part dimensions of +/-0.005”, and average kerf width around 0.025”. But laser can cause some heat distortion, especially on thicker plate. Again, plasma comes in last place, having a typical part size tolerance around +/-0.020”, and a typical kerf width of around 0.150”. Plasma also creates some heat distortion, which can be reduced by cutting under-water.

Flexibility

Waterjet cutting is by far the most flexible of these 3 cutting processes, because it can cut almost any material. Laser is limited to metalics, some plastics and fiberglass, some fabric. OMNI offer fiber laser cutting machine and metal & non-metal laser machine for different production demands. Plasma is the most limited. It can only cut conductive metals, and is really only practical for mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminum.

Max Cutting Thickness

When it comes to the maximum cutting thickness, waterjet beats plasma and laser cutters by a lot.

Waterjet cutters can cut up to 12 inches of thick materials.

Plasma cutters come in second place with the ability to cut up to 6 inches thick mild steel or stainless steel sheets.

As for laser cutters, their maximum cutting thickness is up to ¾ inches for carbon steel, ⅝ inches for stainless steel, and ⅛ inches for aluminum sheets.

One thing to remember here is that the maximum cutting thickness of these cutters varies depending on the material you are cutting.

Waste

When waste production is a matter of concern between these three, laser cutters come out on top.

They produce a very small amount of waste in the form of dust.

You can easily clean it off after the cutting procedure is finished.

However, both waterjet and plasma cutters produce a huge amount of waste compared to laser cutters.

The mess that water jets leave behind requires quite a bit of cleanup work.

And you will need to take extra measures to dispose of the abrasive waste produced during the cutting process.

As for plasma cutters, they will produce a lot of waste in the form of slag and dross and require extensive post-cut cleanup.

Requirements of Secondary Finishing

Waterjets provide very smooth, precise cut edges with a more sand-blasted look that is free of any sort of burnt edges or slag.

As a result, waterjet cuts are considered a finish cut and don’t require secondary finishing.

Laser cutting also doesn’t require secondary finishing in most cases.

On the other hand, plasma cutters generally require secondary finishing operations.

This type of cutter uses high temperature to cut through materials.

Although the flow of ionized gases blows away excess materials from the cut edge, some stay behind.

As a result, the cut edge appears a bit rough.

To get a clean and smooth edge, you will need to perform secondary finishing operations in this case.

Safety

Both plasma and laser cutters require special accommodations to operate safely.

While plasma cutting machines require personal safety devices for protection from glare, noise, and gases.

This technology doesn’t require specialized gear and a safety enclosure around the entire system as laser sometimes can.

The water jet is the only cold cutting equipment and will not change the physical and chemical properties of the material, so the cutting air compressor will not change its essence, and will not produce spark explosions, etc.

All above metal cutting machines have Power-off protection and emergency stop function.

Once any situation occurs, it can be stopped immediately to ensure the safety of the operator.

Electronic light grids can be added and placed around the equipments to avoid personnel entering during equipment startup. Once someone enters, it will be recognized by infrared rays and stop immediately

COST

Purchasing Cost

If you’re looking for the most bang for your metal-shop buck, you can’t beat plasma in terms of initial investment.

Depending on the type and size of machine, as well as its features, most shop-quality CNC plasma cutting machines can be purchased in the range of $8,000 to $40,000 in China ( in USA, the range is from $50,000 to $100,000).

Laser, meanwhile, is by far more expensive. While a new machine frequently runs from $20,000 to $200,000 made in China. And in U.S., the price is over $300,000, sometimes to as much as $1 million, depending on the machine configuration.

For a waterjet cutter, the price is between 40,000 USD to 350,000 USD. While, a second hand water jet cutting machine in U.S. can cost at least $109,500.

Operating Cost

Waterjet vs Laser vs Plasma Cutting Speed (Speed of Operation)

Even when factoring in operating costs such as consumables, abrasive, power, gas, and routine maintenance, plasma is once again the clear winner.

Most CNC plasma cutting machines run at about $15/hour, whereas laser cutting machines generally cost around $25/hour to operate.

waterjet cutters cost 20 USD/hour.

INDUSTREIS FOR

Waterjet cutting machines are highly adopted in industries such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, textile, construction, and mining, ship building.

These machines are used in the automobile industry to cut titanium and steel and other metals, stone, glass etc.

Fiber laser cutting machine has many applications such as metal processing, aviation industry, sheet metal workshops, fast cutting of stainless steel, and many others.

In addition, fiber laser also be used for the manufacturing of ships, metallurgical equipment, elevators, tools, and home appliances among others.

The excellent beam quality, high focus power and impressive efficiency are the major factors which are propelling the growth of the market.

Moreover, a continuous demand for sheet metal components from the industries such as automobile and locomotive is stimulating the growth of fiber laser cutting machines in the respective sectors.

Plasma cutting machines are used in industries such as automotive, aerospace and defense, electrical equipment, industrial machinery, metal fabrication, construction etc.

METAL CUTTING / WELDING ROBOT

The Metal Fiber Laser Cutting & Welding Robot is a cutting-edge robot developed for high precision standards and is ideal for laser applications and component welding.

For all continuouspath controlled activities, it is a six-axis industrial robot with articulated kinematics.

MIG/MAG welding is a specialty of the Fiber Laser Cutting & Welding Robotic System.

Because of a particular calibration technique performed by the manufacturer, they have a high path accuracy and extremely good positioning behavior.

The robot is made out of a stationary base frame on which the rotating column, link, arm, and wrist rotate along a vertical axis.

CNC METAL FABRICATION MACHINES

CNC METAL CUTTING MACHINE

FIBER LASER CUTTING MACHINE

WATER JET CUTTING MACHINE

PLASMA CUTTING MACHINE

LASER CUTTING / WELDING ROBOT

Not Sure Which CNC Metal Cutting Solution to Choose? Contact Us Today!

Best CNC Machines for Metal Cutting / Welding Project

CUSTOMIZE YOUR CNC METAL CUTTING MACHINE

LISTEN TO THEIR VOICE

BOOK A DEMO

Best CNC Metal Cutting Machine for Metal? Fiber Laser, Plasma, Waterjet , Which one to choose?

HOW THEY WORK

How Does Laser Cutting Work?

How Does Plasma Cutting Work?

How Does Waterjet Cutting Work?

WHAT THEY CUT – BEST CNC MACHINES FOR METAL

What Laser Can Cut?

What Plasma Can Cut?

What Water Jet Can Cut?

PRO & CONS

Advantages & Disadvantages of Laser Cutting

Advantages & Disadvantages of Plasma Cutting

Advantages & Disadvantages of Water Jet Cutting

PRODUCTION

Cutting Speed

Cut Edge Quality

Cut Part Precision

Flexibility

Max Cutting Thickness

Waste

Requirements of Secondary Finishing

Safety

COST

Purchasing Cost

Operating Cost

INDUSTREIS FOR

METAL CUTTING / WELDING ROBOT

CONTACT OMNI EXPERT TO GET METAL Cutting Solution

Not Sure Which CNC Metal Cutting Solution to Choose?
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