How Nitrogen is used in the laser cutting industry
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Laser cutting is the action of metals being cut with a high-powered laser beam. To receive the best results, assist gas or gas is used help during the cutting process.
The assist gas that is used depends on 3 elements:
- The type of material being cut
- The required edge quality
- The material's thickness
Nitrogen is the most common application used in the laser cutting industry for cutting metals such as stainless steel, carbon steel or aluminum. Nitrogen is the ideal solution to use for beam guide-way purging as it is dry, clean and oil-free and has very low contaminant content. It also allows the laser to operate in an oxygen-free environment without the risk of oxidation. When your application heats up and comes in contact with oxygen, a phenomenon known as oxidation occurs. This can cause a carbon layer to form on the cut edge resulting in issues such as poor product finish and adhesion problems for any coating or paint applied to the oxidised surface. Nitrogen also helps by reducing discoloration of the cut edge and assisting in heat dissipation, so the cut edge will cool faster.
Now I know you want to know what the key benefits are for choosing Nitrogen. Well for starters generating your own nitrogen will positively affect your bottom line because Nitrogen assist and purge gas are some of the highest costs when it comes to laser cutting. Ordering, changing and running out of bottles can be tiring and even affect your productivity. This plug and play solution is sized to match your laser cutter, so you never need to empty your bottles and refill during valuable productions hours.
Interested in nitrogen gas in your laser cutting application? Our industrial gases experts will be happy to assist!
