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Many owners of fabrication shops may know that adding a CNC laser-cutting machine to their equipment list is likely to improve their bottom-line due to several factors, such as the high speed and accuracy of this cutting tool. However, some inexperienced owners of fabrication shops may be making mistakes that could be lowering the possible gains that they could attain by having a laser cutter in the fabrication shop. This article discusses some of those mistakes that you should avoid making in order to increase the return on investment of your laser cutter.

Outsourcing All Maintenance Activities

Many of the recent models of CNC laser cutting machines now come equipped with self-diagnosis tools that can provide reports on the status of the key components of the cutting system. The machines also have sensors and controls that can alert operators to the development of a defect within the machine. Possible remedies may also be beamed onto the control panel of the CNC laser cutter.

Such capabilities mean that your in-house team of technicians and machine operators can fix many of the problems that may develop on the equipment. It may therefore no longer be necessary for you to spend money on service calls when maintenance or repairs need to be done on your laser cutting equipment. Save money by only calling for external help when a major defect occurs.

Relying on High Wattage to Increase Cutting Speed

A laser cutter operating at a higher wattage may cut materials at a faster rate than another cutter that is operating at a lower wattage. However, wattage is not the only determinant of cutting speed or productivity. Other factors, such as how well the optical system of the laser cutter can focus the beam onto the material that is being cut, can influence productivity.

You may therefore be incurring unnecessarily high costs of energy in order to boost productivity by operating the cutting equipment at a higher wattage when similar results could have been obtained by improving the way your laser cutter focuses its beam. This can be done by replacing worn lenses, for example. Try to find other ways to improve productivity without increasing how much energy your equipment uses.

Using a Dedicated Air Supply System

Some CNC laser cutters can use ordinary air during their operation. A compressor within the fabrication shop usually supplies this air. However, some fabricators incur higher operating costs because they purchase a compressor to be used exclusively during laser cutting. This may be an avoidable cost because you can connect a supply hose to a compressor that is supplying air to other operations within the fabrication shop. You can then temporarily halt other activities during those brief moments when you need a high volume of compressed air that is delivered at very high pressure.

Improve the profitability of your laser cutting operations by making adjustments aimed at eliminating the mistakes above. Consult experts for additional tips on how to achieve greater efficiency.