Copper sheet laser cutting - Germany - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Warhawk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2016, 11:33:21 am
content: Gentlemen,could somebody recommend a company in Germany which laser-cuts a few 1.5 mm thick copper busbars ?It is for lab prototypes. I need it official but 20 pcs. are more a hobby order.Thanks for any tip !Jiri

author: Dago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2016, 04:24:39 am
content: Laser cutting copper or brass requires a (special) machine capable of doing that so finding one might be a bit challenging. If you do not have very fine features then water jet cutting should be easier to find and probably cheaper.

author: SimonWasAnEngineer
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2016, 06:59:42 am
content: Not laser-cutting but I know they make prototypes and small quantities.http://www.aquacut-emsland.de/leistungen/leistungen

author: Harvs
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2016, 07:39:41 am
content: Copper is very soft and easy to run on a CNC router. 1.5mm would likely be a single pass.Most metal shops that have CNC's would easily be able to do this, and orders of 20 pieces is quite a typical order of parts from small companies, not just hobby stuff.

author: Warhawk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2016, 01:48:13 pm
content: Gentlemen, thanks a lot. I decided to usewww.laserteile4you.dethis time.I appreciate your comments.

author: mrpackethead
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2016, 06:33:41 pm
content: copper is a painful material in the cnc, given how soft it is.. it gums up tools very quickly and you need to think about the machining process carefully!

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2016, 06:59:53 pm
content: The difficulty with laser cutting copper is that the copper absorbs most of the heat, jet cutting might be a better solution.

author: Corporate666
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 27, 2016, 08:19:17 pm
content: Quote from: mrpackethead on October 26, 2016, 06:33:41 pmOne of the reasons "tellurium" (C145) copper is often used is because it machines beautifully - almost like 6061 aluminum. It's more expensive, but for small projects, if you're the one doing the machining and if the cost difference is acceptable*, then it makes sense to splurge on C145 copper.*in some forms, C145 isn't actually any more expensive. For small rounds, like 1/4" and 3/8", I've often seen C145 be the same or cheaper than C110, especially if you're buying from a dedicated copper supplier.

author: Corporate666
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 27, 2016, 08:21:50 pm
content: Quote from: chris_leyson on October 26, 2016, 06:59:53 pmThat, and the other issue is that copper reflects some wavelengths of light so much that it absorbs very little of the laser energy. Certainly the case for CO2 lasers which are some of the most common industrial lasers and certainly the most common hobby lasers - they won't touch copper. Fiber or Yag lasers will be able to cut copper, but you need a metric shit-ton of power to deal with the heat sink issue.

author: Richard Head
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 10:43:06 am
content: Apparently the high reflection of copper to CO2 lasers results in the mirrors in the machine not lasting very long. Most laser cutting companies either refuse to cut copper or charge a premium to cover the frequent mirror replacement.

author: mrpackethead
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2016, 04:37:58 pm
content: thanks so much for this thread, i've had a great idea on how I can solve a problem that has been plaugin me for weeks.