Having a competitive edge, and being a “cut above”, often comes from your organisation’s attention to detail.
Including knowing when to use the latest techniques and equipment to create a noticeable improvement in your product quality and integrity.
For this reason, is it time you considered maximising on laser cutting services?
But what advantages are there, to using this technique?
Highly versatile
The starting point is establishing a better understanding of the multitude of ways laser cutting technology can be used.
There is a tendency to think of it in terms of economies of scale and automation, speeding up such things as mass production of engine components.
What is not widely appreciated, is how versatile laser cutting is. And, how cost-effective it can prove for even one-off projects, that require precision and intricacy.
In fact, for any form of metal cutting, it is increasingly the “go to” solution.
For aluminium, stainless steel or just ordinary steel, laser cutting can be used to create an infinite number of possible finishes and sizes. It can also be applied to cut hardox, iron and zintec.
No matter how strong the base material is, laser cutting produces the desired result (though there are thickness limits on some materials).
For example, Subcon Laser helps manufacturing and engineering clients to create components to precise dimensions, but also cuts holes to the most intricate of levels, engraves numbers and logos on parts and trims edges to create smooth lines and surfaces.
Basically, wherever a cutting motion is needed, laser technology provides a controlled and high-quality solution.
Entirely reliable
Laser cutting offers the assurance of 100% consistency.
Think about it. Manual tools and alternative cutting methods rely on using well-maintained equipment. As the project continues, blades can become minutely blunt, slower or less smooth. The end result is a variance in the edges, which can be invisible to the naked eye yet highly significant; particularly if this is a component to be used in robotic or automated production lines.
Even a 0.1mm difference or distortion can throw the alignment off.
Laser cutting doesn’t rely on sharpened blades, well-oiled mechanisms or any other maintenance issues.
The technology is flawless and creates an entirely uniform and consistent finish. No burrs or dust formation, and not even the tiniest variation between cuts.
No margin for human error
Also, manual and alternative cutting machines rely to varying degrees on the dexterity of operators. Even the most skilled can make marginal errors including creating hairline scratches or minor grazes on the surface of your material.
Even these tiny errors can compromise your product’s functionality or finish.
Laser cutting is skilled, but as relies on digital technology. Which means it is not prone to variations unless they are prescribed in the initial settings. Your component or product will be unfailingly high quality and fit for purpose.
Accuracy
Another important way in which laser cutting benefits your company is to offer a degree of accuracy that is unparalleled by other methods.
For example, you may need to cut into your basic material to create grooves, without passing the blade all the way through. The ratio between the engraving and the remaining depth of material could be extremely finely balanced.
Laser cutting has unmatchable abilities to get even the faintest of cuts in exactly the right place, perfectly attuned to the required dimensions.
How accurate is laser cutting? The technology can be used to cut with plus or minus 0.1mm. Can you think of a traditional cutting tool able to promise this?
Waste and time management
Laser cutting also offers a key advantage to companies with strong environmental and waste management policies.
The technology is firmly focused on getting the desired result, with minimal errors.
This means a far better chance of getting your components produced with little or no waste.
Nor is time lost, as it might be using conventional cutting methods.
With traditional alternatives, you often need to move your item around to different machines, or reposition it at different angles, to get the desired result.
With laser cutting, the whole process is streamlined and smooth.
Waste and time savings can bring important costs savings too.
When speed matters
One of the primary advantages of laser cutting technology is how fast it is.
Not just in terms of speeding up mass production of components. If you need a bespoke item cutting, in the right hands laser cutting equipment can be programmed and in operation in minutes.
Even when large consignments of items are needed, laser cutting equipment can “cut through” the timescales you may normally expect for setting up a new process or project.
Experiencing a time delay in configuring alternative cutting systems can be crucial and costly. Particularly if your company needs to react quickly to an opportunity or a production issue, on behalf of an important customer.
Time of day doesn’t need to be a factor either, as laser technology has the potential to be used 24/7.
Plus, repeat orders can be placed and fulfilled without any need to re-set up equipment or adjust perimeters. Laser cutting technology works on data that is stored and easily retrievable, making repeat orders quick to process.
Have you spotted an improvement you could make since your last order? The minutest of adjustments to the data, can create your second batch with your intuitive changes without missing a beat.
Which offers you the exciting prospect of not missing important deadlines!
Talk to Subcon Laser to discuss the specific benefits your company could enjoy, from creating a competitive advantage, from a laser cut edge.
