Tube Laser Cutting – More Applications than You Think

Countless industries, such as agriculture, architecture, construction and food service – to name a few – turn to tube laser cutting technology to create the components, parts or replacement pieces needed to keep going day after day. Custom Laser’s tube cutting laser can produce incredibly precise and repetitive cuts in metal, creating an exact alignment for connections, fittings or passthrough points for wiring or plumbing. But despite the name, not everything manufactured has to be a “tube.”

Open Profile Cutting

While most people think immediately of metal tubing when they hear “tube laser cutting,” the truth is the name is a bit deceiving. Much of the work performed by tube laser cutters indeed is to handle round, square, rectangular and flat-sided oval tubing. However, at Custom Laser, our tube laser can also handle “open profile” metals, meaning that we can process both angle iron and C-channel as well.

For angle iron, our laser can accommodate pieces up to L4 x 4 in size. With C-channel, we can handle C4 and smaller sizes. Custom Laser can also process both C-channel and angle pieces in a range of metals with varied different maximum wall thicknesses. This includes carbon steel (up to 5/16”), stainless steel (up to 3/16”) and aluminum (up to 1/8”).

Benefits of Tube Laser Cuts

Using the tube cutting laser to process angle iron and C-channel offers a number of benefits for end users. First and foremost, the laser offers far more rapid processing, allowing for a quicker turnaround for manufactured pieces. In addition, since it is machine handled versus manually cut or fit, production is far more consistent, resulting in a seamless manufacturing process for large orders.

The tube laser setup also allows for more custom cutting that can be difficult to handle with other technologies. This can include irregular shapes for channel or angle ends, narrow slots or holes – or those placed close together – or to accommodate slot and tab construction with literal laser precision. See even more applications in this article from The Tube & Pipe Journal.

In addition, components processed with the tube laser cutter require less finishing than other cut materials. The high accuracy and precision of the laser means that there is little or no need for deburring, while cuts can also be made with pre-beveled edges to expedite welding work. Between the precise cut and the reduced time to make pieces ready, choosing tube laser cutting can save operations a ton of time and money – and reduce headaches from imprecise fits from manual measure-and-cut or drilled components.

Benefits Across the Spectrum

With C-channel beams and angle iron open profile metals commonly used in a variety of roles for structural work, vehicle frames, merchandising and retail, construction, roofing and agriculture – to name just a few applications – the uses of the tube laser are too many to count. We’ve helped countless clients with cutting and processing open profile and tube metal work, and can put our precision and performance to use for your next project.

Find out how Custom Laser can help you get the precise parts, reverse-engineered replacement components or other fabricated pieces you need for your operations. Call us today at 716-434-8600 and let’s discuss how we can help with your next custom fabrication job.