Nitrogen in laser cutting continues to be a prominent topic of conversation in the industry as more shops expand their laser cutting capacity. When MC Machinery customers purchase a Mitsubishi Laser machine, a question that often comes up is “What nitrogen system should be used?”. There isn’t one right answer to this question – it depends on what the customer is looking to achieve.
To help dig deeper into this topic, Hank White, National Product Manager for Mitsubishi Laser, will run through a couple of factors to keep in mind when looking for the right nitrogen system.
Purity Level
The purity of the nitrogen gas varies. A typical laser cut application may not require the best purity levels when it comes to gas assist, but certain machine elements can benefit from high purity levels. One reason shops may use high purity levels is to help prevent discoloration on the cutting edge. As you go up in purity, you lose flow rate out of the nitrogen generation system. Conversely, if you go up in the flow rate, you lose purity. To achieve a higher flow rate and purity, you need a larger nitrogen generator.
Sizing
The key is sizing the system correctly. It’s best to size a nitrogen generation system for the vast majority of your nitrogen needs. A system that is too small can’t keep up with the nitrogen demands, and a system that is too large will only drive up the initial cost. Today nitrogen-generation system manufacturers can tailor the equipment to the shop based on the number of laser cutting machines, type of materials being cut, the thickness of those materials, and the different nozzles and pressures being used throughout a shift.
Cost
It’s important to note that a higher purity level may call for a more expensive nitrogen generating system. An in-house generator separates nitrogen and oxygen from the air and can often be the most efficient and economical method of supplying nitrogen. The on-site system generates nitrogen at a pressure and flow rate required for the application, on-demand, so no gas is wasted.
Nitrogen gas generators allow companies to take control of their own gas supply and reduce costs considerably, but a one-size-fits-all solution simply doesn’t work in the diverse field of laser cutting. At MC Machinery we are happy to guide you on the right path in discovering the best solution for your needs.