Head to head on cost and quality, the laser wins every time!
When comparing a quote or the quality of a final product, the laser always delivers a more competitively priced and superior quality product.
With our laser, you get the highest quality edges every time!
Abrasive water jets offer various types of edge quality (depending on the speed that they are cutting) whereas the laser always produces an edge that is superior to the best edge produced by a water jet.
In any material that both lasers and abrasive water jet can cut, the laser processes the job much faster.
As the edge quality goes up for an abrasive water jet, the cutting speed goes down. As quantities rise, cutting and material handling time increases, so does your cost with an abrasive water jet. Lasers cut the same material at the same speed, with the same edge quality, every time!
The heat affected zone has never been an issue with our lasers.
Abrasive water jet users make a lot of fuss about heat affected zones. We have cut thousands of parts for thousands of customers over 30 years and this has never been an issue.
Both machines are expensive to purchase and expensive to operate.
Electricity, gases and optics add to the cost of operating a laser. While nozzles, electricity and garnet add to the cost of abrasive water jet cutting. In small quantities, if the water jet company is using a lower shop rate, the abrasive water jet may have the lower cost. However, the quality of the laser cannot be matched by the water jet and as quantities rise, neither can the cost.
Is it possible to powder paint a mild steel, laser cut part?
While powder painting a mild steel, laser cut part can occasionally be a problem, this is not an advantage for the abrasive water jet. By changing the laser cutting assist gas to nitrogen, the problem goes away.
There are some metals and thicknesses that CO2 lasers do not like.
In these cases, flame cutting, plasma cutting, sawing and machining may still yield a more cost effective, higher quality product. We can help find the best process for your job.
Are you already using or contemplating using abrasive water jet cutting and you're still not convinced that laser cutting is the more cost effective solution? Please let us quote your part and show you that we are competitively priced.
Head to head on cost and quality - the Laser always wins!