 |
BEAM Laser |
Shears |
Die Cutting |
Knife Cutting |
|
Speed |
Med |
High |
Med |
High |
Flexibility |
High |
Low |
Low |
Low |
Cut Quality |
High |
Med |
High |
Med |
Operating Costs |
Low |
High |
Med |
Low |
Skill Required |
Low |
High |
Med |
Low |
Level of Safety |
High |
Med |
Med |
Low |
Material Waste |
Low |
Med |
Low |
Low |
Tooling/Fixturing |
None |
Heavy |
Med |
Low |
Ease of |
Easy |
Difficult |
Med |
Easy |
Capital Costs |
High |
Med |
High |
Low |
Beam Dynamics laser machines offer their greatest benefits when compared to die cutting. With a laser machine, there are no dies to create, eliminating the cost and wait of die creation. Parts can be easily changed on the computer and can be instantly cut on the laser, allowing tremendous flexibility for small jobs and prototyping. Beam machines require no fixturing, no alignment of parts for cutting, and complete ability to cut any part of any size or detail. A Beam Dynamics laser machine will not only allow you to expand the work you do, but also allow you to create your current parts more efficiently, with greater precision and less wastage from rejected parts.
When compared to knife cutters, BEAM is much more flexible and precise. You do not have to worry about material hold-down because of the powerful vacuum cutting bed. BEAM machines do not have any parts that can wear or dull, so they do not have to be replaced and accuracy is maintained throughout the entire cut. A laser allows you to perform all types of cuts on any applicable material with just one machine. While a knife can only cut thin and pliable plastics, a laser can easily cut hard, thick plastics, even those with adhesive backs that gum-up knife cutters.
Beam Dynamics machines much higher flexibility than shears—anything that can be drawn can be cut with a laser, where shears are generally only suitable for cutting straight lines. BEAM offers a variety of methods for producing high quality edges, whereas shears produce parts that require post-processing. Shears will also dull over time, so parts need to be replaced. Lasers do not have any parts that can wear or dull, so these parts do not have to be replaced and accuracy is maintained throughout the entire cut.
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