What Role Does The Auxiliary Gas Play in Laser Cutting? How To Choose?

The role of auxiliary gas is as follows four points:
One is to allow the auxiliary gas to have a chemical reaction with the metal material to increase the cutting speed;.
The second is to help the equipment blow off the slag from the cutting area and clean the slit; and
Third, it cools the area adjacent to the cutting seam, reducing the extent of the heat-affected zone.
Fourth, to protect the focusing lens, to prevent the products of combustion to stain the optical lens.

Different gas characteristics have different roles:
Oxygen cutting carbon steel as an accelerant to increase the thickness of the cut, while nitrogen cutting stainless steel, argon cutting too steel plate cutting inert gas and plate does not have a chemical reaction, which can make the cut section to show the original color of the metal.
The main role of the air is slagging, air mixed with 21% oxygen will cause a certain degree of oxidation to increase the cutting speed. When the flow rate is sufficient, the higher the pressure, the better the slag removal effect. Air as a mixture generally does not have the purity of this statement.

Nitrogen's main role is to slag, in the cutting of conventional plates such as carbon steel, stainless steel, in the slag at the same time to inhibit the chemical reaction of the plate. When the flow rate is sufficient, the higher the pressure, the better the slag removal effect. The lower the purity, the worse the ability to inhibit oxidation, resulting in the cutting section will have a black and yellow phenomenon.
Oxygen's main role is to discharge slag, at the same time as a combustion agent to assist cutting. Flow enough, moderate pressure is the best effect, small pressure will lead to hanging slag impermeable, pressure is caused by the section of deep teeth. The lower the purity of the combustion aid the worse, the same thickness requires more gas, resulting in deeper section teeth.
The size of the gas pressure is also an important factor in ensuring the purity of the auxiliary gas. If the pressure of the auxiliary gas is not properly matched, it will also have a certain impact on the cutting effect. Therefore, the gas and air pressure must be selected according to the characteristics of the cut product during the cutting down process.