The world of automotive manufacturing is one where precision and detail are extremely important, and this is one of several reasons why laser cutting is a common process often utilized within it. Laser cutting offers some of the best precision available, one that leads to exact cuts with clean edges, and is used not just for cutting parts, but also for welding, engraving, cladding and marking.
At Cypress Metals, we’re happy to offer a wide range of laser cutting and press brake services, with products in use across a huge variety of industries. To showcase just how beneficial laser cutting can be for any industry where detail is of major importance, this two-part blog series will go over all the benefits the automotive production world takes from laser cutting — benefits that apply to numerous other industries as well.
Clean, Precise Cuts
Laser cutters use light waves with extremely detailed wavelengths, with energy that becomes absorbed by the metal it’s working on. The machine can be programmed to only allow the energy through at a certain depth, in order to create either shallow or deep cuts, based on need.
After absorbing the light and heat from the laser beam, metal undergoes thermal expansion — its molecules suddenly moving faster — that results in it being pushed away from where it was hit by the laser. The end result is a clean, straight cut that is fast and easily created.
Clean edges and precise cuts are especially important in the automotive industry. This is due to the fact that quality control measures need to be taken with every single piece of metal used in creating a vehicle, as even microscopic defects harm car performance or safety.
No Fringed Edges
During the laser cutting process, the intense, focused heat produced by the laser will actually seal synthetic materials together. For sealed airbags, for instance, this can create a fully uniform covering, preventing accidents where seams split and airbags fail to deploy.
To further prevent fringed edges after cutting metal with lasers, it’s a common practice for manufacturers to grind the cut edges down. This ensures that the small amounts of fringing along those edges won’t cause any problems or issues in later steps.
Versatile Process
CNC laser cutting is an extremely versatile process due to the controlled cutting head, which moves to cut contours to the exact specifications it’s programmed for. For industries like automotive manufacturing and many others, this tool helps knock significant time off production, plus creates a part that’s consistent with each run.
For more on the benefits of the laser cutting process within the automotive industry and many others that require a combination of strength and precision, or to learn about any of our laser cutting, metal fabrication or other services, speak to the staff at Cypress Metals today.