Metal materials, such as aluminum, copper, steel, and brass, can be machined on many different kinds of machines. Sheet metal parts are most efficiently processed with a laser cutter which ensures high efficiency at a large scale of production.
The fiber laser also works great with these materials, even as they get thicker, up to 15-20mm. If you want to cut above this thickness, a waterjet is a great option. Cutting with a waterjet is slower than cutting with a fiber laser, however it allows for much more versatility. This is because materials can be cut using any thickness up to 200mm.
Lasers cut black steel to a certain thickness using a shielding gas in the form of nitrogen, while above a certain thickness, cutting takes place inside the oxygen shield. The thickness of the oxygen that must be used depends on the power of the laser source. The greater the source power, the thicker black steel sheets can be cut with nitrogen. Cutting steel in oxygen is slower, but it allows cutting much thicker materials. Other metals such as copper, aluminum, brass, and stainless steel are always cut in the nitrogen shield.
Industrial-sized machines are perfectly suited for processing non-ferrous metals with high efficiency, however, steel processing is possible to a limited extent. These machines can be used for production purposes in the manufacturing of components. Machines with a driving table, such as steel milling machines, are used for the production of injection molds of dies, stamping dies and for quick processing of aluminum.