Using the laser to cut things into precise shapes has been practiced for many years now, as it slowly began to be brought into different industries and used to increase quality while lowering prices. However, the idea of cutting tubes and pipes has always posed some problems and it took years for manufacturers to realize that it could work out if there were machines strong enough to cut through much thicker metal walls. First, there were small-diameter tubes, then came the medium ones. For large-diameter tubes and pipes, the industry was quite hesitant but at last, they saw the advantages and now the technology is widely used across the world.
Large-diameter tubes and pipes – where are they used?
The need for precise cutting of large-diameter pipes and tubes has risen as industries started to use such shapes in their projects. The most obvious use would be pipelines, which are now more and more popular, but there are many more areas that tubes are used in. Architecture, machinery, steel structures such as bridges, or even such simple things like street lamps and light posts are all a creation of laser-cutting. And it’s not without reason – those constructions must be precisely cut and consistent. With pipelines spread widely and assembled on site, you can’t have them being off and misfit. Here, even a 1° error in orientation could be costly and that’s what every manufacturer is trying to avoid.
Advantages of laser cutting pipes and tubes
Why don’t do it the old way? For years, cutting large-diameter tubes was considered one of the hardest jobs in the industry and for that reason, it was always done manually. However, manual labor on such a scale is not only time-consuming but also quite costly, as you need to pay not only for a large number of employees but for the errors they make as well. Using laser systems has proven to be more effective as it provides high precision, good quality, repetitiveness and consistency which is highly appreciated by the customers.
Why using expensive machinery would be cost-efficient? First of all, it reduces the risk of making mistakes, which for clients with huge orders is quite important – they need to be able to use the components just like Lego, assembling constructions on-site without any difficulties. There is also the matter of time – laser is known to work fast and with the industry evolving fast, manufacturers had to pick up the tempo to match the market’s needs.