Coherent's die-less laser cutting technique uses computer generated cutting paths to make it incredibly easy and inexpensive for metal cutting jobs of any size. No hard tooling or complex clamping arrangements are necessary when cutting parts, meaning you can increase profits on short runs. With a faster turn-around and lower costs, you’ll be able to take on more jobs, be more competitive, and ultimately bring in more customers.

Create dross-free edges without deburring. Conventional steels up to 1⁄8 inch (3 mm) cut extremely well with nitrogen or oxygen assisted laser cutting. Our high powered, sealed CO2 laser systems offer “clean cutting” of stainless steel using a nitrogen assist gas. This high powered application is simple, effective and inexpensive to run and maintain on a Coherent laser cutting machine.

Develop fine detail and intricate parts with ease. Laser cutting greatly simplifies the design and manufacturing process. It frees you to design complex parts that are difficult to make with conventional tools. The focused laser beam, as small as .004” produces intricate detail and very sharp corners. The process is non-contact, allowing very thin metals to be cut without damage. There are also no cutting tools that can wear or break, which means less downtime, fewer maintenance costs, and consistent precision over time.

Reduce costs and operator time. All types of materials can be cut rapidly and cost-effectively—whether it’s a prototype, small job, or full production run. Our machines are so easy to use that a single operator can run several machines simultaneously, increasing throughput and decreasing costs. With virtually no setup time, multiple pallets, and automated operation, there can be a dramatic reduction in operating hours compared to traditional cutting machines. You can create complex designs with no setup fees, retooling costs, or time-consuming setup changes. The process is non-contact, so there are no expensive cutting tools to wear or break.

Precise, non-contact metal cutting without tooling. You can perform small jobs, large productions, fine engraving, and detailed parts with equal efficiency and accuracy on a Coherent laser cutting machine. Our machines are ideal for cutting perfect parts from many types of sheet metal and eliminate expensive retooling costs and time-consuming stamps by quickly and easily producing parts directly from the original CAD files. Be it a small run, a complicated part, or even just engraving, Coherent laser cutting machines are the most flexible cutting tools for any production shop.

Shears. Coherent laser cutting machines offer much higher flexibility than shears—anything that can be drawn can be cut with a laser, where shears are generally only suitable for cutting straight lines. Coherent laser cutters offer a variety of methods for producing high quality edges, whereas shears produce metal parts with sharp edges that can be hazardous and require post-processing. Shears will also dull over time, so parts need to be replaced. Laser cutters do not have any parts that can wear or dull, so these parts do not have to be replaced and accuracy is maintained throughout the entire cut.

Die Cutting/Stamping. Coherent laser cutters offer the greatest benefits when compared to die cutting. With a laser cutting machine, there are no dies to create, eliminating the cost and wait time of die creation. Parts can be easily changed on the computer and can be instantly cut on the laser, allowing tremendous flexibility for small jobs and prototyping. Coherent laser cutters require no fixturing, no alignment of parts for cutting, and complete ability to cut any part of any size or detail. A Coherent laser machine will not only allow you to expand the work you do, but also allow you to create your current parts more efficiently with greater precision and less waste from rejected parts.

Plasma. Coherent laser cutting machines offer greater speed, accuracy and edge quality when compared with plasma cutters. Due to the small kerf and high quality finished part, Coherent laser cutters are ideally suited for mechanical and medical parts. If you are looking to cut thicker metals where high precision is not an issue, than a plasma cutter may be the correct choice for you.

Router. In comparison to using a router, Coherent offers a laser cutting machine with greater flexibility, lower operating costs and greater precision when it comes to metal cutting. Coherent laser cutting machines can cut a wide variety of metals that are not advisable to cut with a router, including aluminum, stainless steel and spring steel. Because the laser is non-contact, the costs of laser cutting are dramatically reduced. There are no tools to purchase, no time spent changing or sharpening tools, and no need for dangerous fixtures. The laser has a .004" - .007" kerf, letting you cut intricate parts that are simply impossible with a router.

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)/Wire Cutting. EDM offers clear advantages for cutting complex shapes out of thick metals. When comparing a Coherent laser cutter to EDM, the most important factor is the thickness of the metal you will be cutting. Coherent laser cutting machines can cut thinner metals very quickly but is not suited for cutting thicker metals.

Water Jet. In comparison to water jets, Coherent's laser cutting machines offer greater speed and precision at lower operating costs when cutting sheet metal. Lasers offer much greater speed and a thinner kerf, leading to greater detail on finished parts. While water jets are capable of cutting much thicker material, they also generally run extremely slowly even on thin sheets. Consumables (garnet), cleanup, and replacement nozzles also push up the operating costs of a water jet compared to a laser. The only consumables for metal cutting with a Coherent laser cutting machine are electricity and the assist gas (nitrogen or oxygen).

Alloy Steel. Since care is taken to control the amount and distribution of additives to the base iron, most alloy steels are considered ideal candidates for the laser cutting process. High strength materials such as AISI-SAE 4130 (chrome moly steel) and 4340 (chrome nickel moly steel) display exceptional laser cut edges that are square and clean.

Aluminum Alloys. Due to its high thermal conductivity and high reflectivity to a CO2 laser's wavelength, aluminum requires high laser energy intensity in order to initiate cutting. This means the need for a laser possessing exceptional beam quality and capable of outputting peak powers of at least 500 Watts, in addition to precise focus control. During the cutting process, the assist gas serves primarily to blow the molten material from the cut zone. This helps to produce edge quality that is generally superior to that produced by a bandsaw.

Brass. Brass can absorb some energy from the CO2 laser, and essentially behaves like aluminum.

Carbon Steel. Conventional steels of up to 16 mm lend themselves well to oxygen assisted laser cutting. The kerfs are narrow (as little as 0. 1 mm for thin material) and the resultant heat affected zones are negligible, particularly for mild and low carbon steel. At the same time, the cut edges are smooth, clean, and square.

Stainless Steel. Lasers have been shown to be viable cutting tools for the fabrication of sheet metal components made from stainless. The controlled heat input of the laser beam serves to minimize the HAZ along the cut edge, thereby helping the material to maintain its corrosion resistance. Since stainless does not react with an oxygen-assist as efficiently as mild steel, cutting speeds for stainless are slightly slower than those for comparable thicknesses of plain steel. At the expense of up to 50% of the speed for oxygen assisted cutting, an inert assist gas can be employed to obtain a "weld ready", oxide-free cut edge.As for the resultant cut quality, martensitic and ferritic (400 series) stainlesses provide clean smooth edges.

Titanium. Pure titanium responds well to the concentrated heat energy of a focused laser beam. The use of an oxygen assist enhances the cutting speeds but tends to promote a larger oxide layer along the cut edge. Aircraft alloys such 6AL-4V do tend to exhibit some slag that adheres to the bottom side of the cut but is relatively easy to remove.

Tool Steel. Similar in many ways to alloy steels, most tool steels respond well to the cutting action of a laser.