Fiber laser cutting is becoming the leading process for the cutting of metals, including brass and copper. The reason for that is because fiber lasers provide high throughput, high quality, precision, and accuracy of the cuts, flexibility in part design, as well as maintenance-free, stable production process.

Fiber laser machines create really high powered density on the surface of reflective metals. The high powered density causes rapid melting of the surface of these materials, and therefore the process can quickly overcome the reflectivity barriers and start a stable cutting process.

The Challenges of Copper and Brass
Copper and brass are known to be challenging metals to cut, because they are good reflectors, and therefore bad absorbers, or infrared laser light. Their reflectivity though, does not stay the same with temperature – it changes with temperature.

This is the reason why the most critical stage in the cutting of these reflective metal is the initial stage, also known as the piercing stage, when the laser beam interacts with solid metal. When the cut is established, the laser mostly interacts with the molten material, which is much more absorbent.