Comparative Study of Remote Fiber Laser and Water-Jet Guided Laser Cutting of Thin Metal Sheets

This article presents a comparison between remote laser cutting with a fiber laser and water-jet guided laser cutting using a 532 nm solid state laser. Complex contours are processed in stainless steel and brass sheets (thickness ≤ 100 μm), respectively. Results for achievable quality and productivity as well as possible applications for both systems are shown and discussed. We sustained dross free cuts with almost no heat affected zone and small kerf width for the water-jet guided process, whereas small dross, notable heat affected zone and varying kerf width where observed for remote cutting. However, process times for the water-jet guided process where considerably higher than those for remote cutting.