Will my laser cut parts warp?
Although the vast majority of parts we laser cut don’t suffer from warping, when a component is long and thin or has a large amount of material removed then warping or distortion can occur.
If the part has a flatness tolerance specified and the part is warped but still within tolerance then laser cutting can continue. However, if the part is out of tolerance or if a tolerance isn’t specified we will liaise with the customer before we carry on laser cutting.
What causes laser cut parts to warp?
Steel is rolled into coils during the manufacturing process and then transported to steel processing companies that decoil the steel and then cut to varying size flat sheet sheets. These sheets are then bought in bulk by laser cutting companies such as GF Laser who then provide the laser cutting service. As mentioned above parts with lots of holes or that are long and thin lose some of their strength so the material tries to return to it’s coiled state.
The part shown below shows some stainless steel that has bowed during cutting because of the large amount of material removed. The warping was reduced though by leaving a large border between the holes and the edge of the part.
Can warping in laser cutting be prevented?
Sometimes the warping is inconsistent and only occurs in certain areas of the sheet so it may be that on short runs only a few parts are scrapped. However, where it occurs frequently GF Laser will liaise with the customer to see if the part can be redesigned.
The part below was redesigned by GF Laser as it was warping whilst being laser cut, strengthening bars were added which gave the part extra rigidity and brought it back within the stated flatness tolerances. These strengthening bars are then removed once the parts has cooled so that it can be used in its final manufacturing process.
Laser head collisions caused by warping.
Our laser operators constantly monitor the laser cutting process to make sure the laser cutting head doesn’t collide with parts that are warped. This occurs when parts are nested too close together so as the laser cuts one part it collides into the neighbouring part which has warped. As well as halting production this can cause damage to the part and the laser cutting head. Although nesting isn’t as efficient when parts are spaced out it will avoid warping collisions and it will also reduce the heat build up in the sheet of material. Heat build up can also be another cause of part distortion so our programming team will always consider how the nest will perform during laser cutting.
For a full analysis on your part please contact a member of our team today using our online contact form.