How Thick Can a Fiber Laser Cut? Laser Cutting Thickness Chart by Power

How thick can a fiber laser cut? The answer depends on more than laser power alone.

Material type, assist gas, focus position, cutting speed, laser source, cutting head and the required edge quality can all affect the final cutting result. A 3 kW fiber laser, for example, may have very different cutting capabilities for carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum.

The thickness and cutting-speed data in this guide are based on Lonx Laser’s fiber laser cutting parameters, covering systems from 1.5 kW to 60 kW and materials including carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass and copper.

Important: The figures below are reference cutting parameters rather than universal industry limits. Actual results can vary according to material grade, surface condition, machine configuration, assist-gas pressure, focus position and other process conditions.

Fiber Laser Cutting Thickness Chart by Power

The table below provides a simplified overview of the maximum reference thicknesses represented in the cutting data.

* The carbon-steel figures in this overview use the oxygen + positive-focus process because it provides the broadest thick-plate coverage in the available data.

The values in this table should be used as a starting point rather than as a guarantee of production performance. Maximum thickness and practical production thickness are not always the same.

How Thick Can a 1500W Fiber Laser Cut?

A 1.5 kW fiber laser is well suited to thin-sheet metal applications, with cutting performance varying by material and assist gas.

Reference values include:

• Carbon steel: up to 16 milimeter
• Stainless steel: up to 5 mm
• Aluminum: up to 3 milimeter
• Brass: up to 1 mm

At thinner thicknesses, cutting speed can be much higher. For example, carbon steel can be processed at up to around 15–18 m/min at 1 mm under the listed nitrogen/air parameters.

How Thick Can a 2000W Laser Cut?

A 2 kW fiber laser provides greater thickness capability while remaining suitable for a wide range of sheet-metal applications.

Reference values include:

• Carbon steel: up to 16 milimeter
• Stainless steel: up to 8 milimeter
• Aluminum: up to 5 mm
• Brass: up to 3 milimeter

Carbon steel can be processed using different assist-gas configurations. Nitrogen or air is primarily used for thinner material and higher-speed cutting, while oxygen is used for thicker carbon steel.

How Thick Can a 3000W Laser Cut?

A 3 kW fiber laser provides a significant increase in cutting capability compared with lower-power systems.

Reference values include:

• Carbon steel: up to 20 mm
• Stainless steel: up to 16 milimeter
• Aluminum: up to 8 milimeter
• Brass: up to 6 milimeter

The higher power is also valuable for increasing cutting speed on thinner materials. Therefore, laser power should be evaluated not only by maximum thickness, but also by production efficiency at the thicknesses you process most frequently.

How Thick Can a 6000W Fiber Laser Cut?

A 6 kW fiber laser is suitable for a much broader range of sheet and plate applications.

Reference values include:

• Carbon steel: up to 30 milimeter
• Stainless steel: up to 30 milimeter
• Aluminum: up to 30 milimeter
• Brass: up to 12 milimeter
• Copper: up to 6 milimeter

At this power level, the difference in cutting speed between thin and thick material becomes increasingly important when evaluating overall production capacity.

How Thick Can a 12kW Fiber Laser Cut?

A 12 kW fiber laser can handle considerably thicker materials while maintaining high productivity on thinner sheet.

Reference values include:

• Carbon steel: up to 40 milimeter
• Stainless steel: up to 30 milimeter
• Aluminum: up to 60 mm
• Brass: up to 20 mm
• Copper: up to 10 mm

Different materials require different process conditions. For example, carbon steel is represented by oxygen-based processes, while stainless steel and aluminum are primarily processed with nitrogen or air.

How Thick Can a 20kW Fiber Laser Cut?

A 20 kW fiber laser is designed for applications requiring both high production capacity and heavy-plate cutting capability.

Reference values include:

• Carbon steel: up to 70 mm
• Stainless steel: up to 70 mm
• Aluminum: up to 60 mm
• Brass: up to 20 mm
• Copper: up to 12 milimeter

At these thicknesses, cutting speed, piercing performance and process stability become increasingly important when selecting a machine.

How Thick Can a 30kW Fiber Laser Cut?

A 30 kW fiber laser extends fiber laser cutting into heavier plate applications while also offering very high productivity on thinner materials.

Reference values include:

• Carbon steel: up to 80 mm
• Stainless steel: up to 100 mm
• Aluminum: up to 60 mm
• Brass: up to 20 mm
• Copper: up to 14 mm

These figures also demonstrate that increasing laser power does not produce a simple linear increase in cutting thickness across all materials.

How Thick Can a 40kW Fiber Laser Cut?

A 40 kW fiber laser provides substantial heavy-plate cutting capability.

Reference values include:

• Carbon steel: up to 100 mm
• Stainless steel: up to 150 mm
• Aluminum: up to 100 mm
• Brass: up to 30 milimeter
• Copper: up to 20 mm

For very thick materials, maximum thickness is only one part of the machine-selection decision. Cutting speed and overall production efficiency are equally important.

How Thick Can a 60kW Fiber Laser Cut?

A 60 kW fiber laser represents the highest power level covered by the data in this guide.

Reference values include:

• Carbon steel: up to 200 mm
• Stainless steel: up to 150 mm

These figures demonstrate the heavy-plate capability that becomes possible with very high-power fiber laser systems. However, they should be understood as specific process references rather than universal maximums for every 60 kW machine.

Carbon Steel Laser Cutting Thickness by Assist Gas

Carbon steel is different from many other materials because the cutting process can change significantly with the choice of assist gas and focus position.

Carbon Steel with Nitrogen or Air

Nitrogen and air are mainly used for thinner material and higher-speed processing.

Carbon Steel with Oxygen and Positive Focus

Oxygen-based cutting extends the practical thickness range considerably.

The cutting parameters also include an oxygen negative-focus process for carbon steel. This is another reason why laser power alone cannot be used to determine cutting thickness.

Nitrogen vs. Oxygen for Fiber Laser Cutting

Assist gas has a major influence on fiber laser cutting performance.

For carbon steel, oxygen is commonly used for thicker plate, while nitrogen or air can be used for thinner material and higher-speed processing.

For stainless steel and aluminum, nitrogen or air is used in the reference parameters across a broad range of thicknesses.

Brass is represented with nitrogen, while copper is represented with oxygen.

As a result, the question:

How thick can a 6 kW laser cut?

does not have a single answer without specifying the material and cutting process.

A more useful question is:

How thick can a 6 kW fiber laser cut this material with this assist gas at the required production speed and edge quality?

Does Higher Laser Power Always Mean Thicker or Faster Cutting?

Higher laser power generally expands the available cutting range and can significantly increase cutting speed, but the relationship is not linear.

For example, doubling laser power does not necessarily double the maximum cutting thickness. Material properties, wavelength absorption, assist gas, focus position, optical configuration and process parameters all influence the final result.

Higher power can also provide a major productivity advantage when processing thinner materials because the machine can often operate at significantly higher speeds.

Therefore, when comparing a 3 kW, 6 kW and 12 kW machine, it is useful to consider both:

Maximum cutting thickness

dan

Cutting speed at your typical production thickness.

Maximum Cutting Thickness vs. Practical Production Thickness

Maximum cutting thickness should not be confused with the thickness recommended for continuous production.

A machine may be capable of cutting a particular plate thickness under a specific set of conditions, but continuous production may require a different thickness range to maintain:

• stable cutting
• acceptable edge quality
• reasonable cutting speed
• consistent piercing
• manageable assist-gas consumption
• reliable production performance

For example, a machine capable of cutting a very thick plate does not necessarily mean that the same thickness is the most economical choice for everyday production.

For machine selection, it is usually more useful to evaluate how efficiently the machine processes the thicknesses you cut most often.

Why Two Fiber Lasers With the Same Wattage May Cut Different Thicknesses

Two fiber laser machines with the same nominal power can produce different cutting results.

Sumber Laser

The laser source and its characteristics can influence cutting efficiency and process stability.

Cutting Head and Optics

The cutting head, nozzle, lens and optical configuration determine how efficiently laser energy is delivered to the workpiece.

Bantu Gas

Nitrogen, oxygen and air produce different cutting behaviors and are suited to different materials and thickness ranges.

Focus Position

Focus position becomes particularly important when cutting thicker materials. Different focus settings can produce significantly different results.

Bahan

Carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass and copper have different thermal and optical properties, so the same laser power does not produce the same cutting thickness for every material.

Kecepatan Pemotongan

A machine may be capable of cutting a particular thickness, but the production value of that capability depends heavily on how quickly and consistently the material can be processed.

What Laser Power Do You Need for Your Metal Thickness?

The right laser power depends on the material and thickness you process most frequently.

Lower-power systems are generally appropriate for thin-sheet applications, while 6 kW and higher systems provide increasing capability for medium and heavy plate. Explore our fiber laser cutting machines for sheet metal to compare different power configurations and machine options for specific material and thickness requirements.

Instead of choosing a laser solely from a maximum-thickness figure, consider:

Material + Thickness + Cutting Speed + Production Volume + Assist Gas + Edge-Quality Requirements

This provides a much more practical basis for machine selection.

Pertanyaan yang Sering Diajukan

How thick can a 3000W laser cut?

A 3000W fiber laser can cut up to around 20 mm carbon steel, 16 mm stainless steel, 8 mm aluminum and 6 mm brass under the reference parameters presented in this guide.

How thick can a 2000W laser cut?

A 2000W fiber laser can cut up to around 16 mm carbon steel, 8 mm stainless steel, 5 mm aluminum and 3 mm brass under the reference parameters presented in this guide.

How thick can a 6000W fiber laser cut?

A 6000W fiber laser can cut up to around 30 mm carbon steel, 30 mm stainless steel, 30 mm aluminum, 12 mm brass and 6 mm copper under the reference parameters presented in this guide.

How thick can a 12kW fiber laser cut?

A 12 kW fiber laser can cut up to around 40 mm carbon steel, 30 mm stainless steel, 60 mm aluminum, 20 mm brass and 10 mm copper under the reference parameters presented in this guide.

How thick can a 20kW fiber laser cut?

A 20 kW fiber laser can cut up to around 70 mm carbon steel and stainless steel, 60 mm aluminum, 20 mm brass and 12 mm copper under the reference parameters presented in this guide.

How thick can a 60kW fiber laser cut?

A 60 kW fiber laser can reach around 200 mm carbon steel and 150 mm stainless steel under the specific cutting parameters presented in this guide.

Is a higher-wattage fiber laser always better?

Not necessarily. Higher power can provide greater thickness capability and higher cutting speeds, but the best choice depends on material, thickness, production volume, cutting quality and the machine configuration.

What is the maximum thickness a fiber laser can cut?

There is no single universal maximum thickness for all fiber lasers. The achievable thickness depends on laser power, material, assist gas, focus position, optics and other cutting parameters. The highest reference values in this guide reach 200 mm for carbon steel and 150 mm for stainless steel at 60 kW.

Kesimpulan Akhir

Fiber laser cutting thickness is determined by a combination of laser power, material, assist gas and cutting parameters rather than wattage alone.

From 1.5 kW to 60 kW, different fiber laser configurations can cover a very wide range of sheet and plate applications, from high-speed thin-sheet production to heavy-plate cutting.

The most reliable way to choose a fiber laser is to match the machine to your actual:

material + thickness + production speed + quality requirements.

For applications where the required thickness is close to the upper limit of a machine, application-specific cutting tests are recommended before making a final equipment decision.