Laser tube cutting machine - GIF

**Jon** · Sep 6, 2019, 05:19 PM

Laser tube cutting machine.

Previously:

Laser removing oil from engine block - GIF
Fast laser cutting machine - GIF
Laser cutter cuts intricate pattern on cylindrical workpiece - GIF
Laser graffiti remover - GIF
Hand-held laser for nuclear decommissioning
200-watt laser bazooka - GIF and video
Micro laser soldering - video

**Toolmaker51** · Sep 7, 2019, 10:33 PM

Finally! Something a bandsaw can't do better. . .though far less capital investment.
lasers and plasma with 4th axis equipped aren't very common yet. I've looked into having a pair of shear front gauges made from seamed tube and flat stock. It'll have to wait.
Or I figure another way to taper tubing and slot the flat stock. Normal milling machines don't have sufficient travel.

**sossol** · Sep 8, 2019, 10:01 AM

The sound this machine makes when cutting is very cool. The pulsing and echo of the tubing kinda makes it sound like it's ripping the metal.

Neil

**Frank S** · Sep 8, 2019, 10:52 AM

The pipe profile cutting machine we had used a plasma or a oxy/gas torch. A 5 jaw chuck on the power head and up to 12 meter long 600 mm diameter pipes could be loaded on to it the cutter moved back and forth along the length of the pipe while the pipe rotated cw or ccw With adapters for the chuck geometrical shaped materials such as sq/ rt tubing angle bars channels and beams even flat sheets could be cut if a table was affixed to the rails.
The problem I see with the laser machine in the vid is the tubing has to travel longitudinally while the cutter head is stationary next to the chuck. this would be an issue for making very long cuts along the length of the tube.

**dbug10** · Sep 27, 2019, 10:43 PM

I want one lol

**Toolmaker51** · Sep 28, 2019, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by Frank S

The pipe profile cutting machine we had used a plasma or a oxy/gas torch. A 5 jaw chuck on the power head and up to 12 meter long 600 mm diameter pipes could be loaded on to it the cutter moved back and forth along the length of the pipe while the pipe rotated cw or ccw With adapters for the chuck geometrical shaped materials such as sq/ rt tubing angle bars channels and beams even flat sheets could be cut if a table was affixed to the rails.
The problem I see with the laser machine in the vid is the tubing has to travel longitudinally while the cutter head is stationary next to the chuck. this would be an issue for making very long cuts along the length of the tube.

Longitudinal travel would be hampered definitely by stock swaying and/ or dropping as it extends. Depending on length of cut I'd imagine a roller steady rest might alleviate that.

**Frank S** · Sep 28, 2019, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by Toolmaker51

Longitudinal travel would be hampered definitely by stock swaying and/ or dropping as it extends. Depending on length of cut I'd imagine a roller steady rest might alleviate that.

Yes plus there would be the issue of irregular shapes of tubing IE rectangular square cylindrical each would require special treatment for a steady or series of steadies.
With a machine where the tubing merely rotates but otherwise has no linier movement the torch does the majority of the travel through several axis of angularity plus the simple XYZ movements many shapes of materials can be used the steadies can be fitted with cylindrical fixtures which are affixed to the shape. Higher productivity with a much wider scope of work can be preformed even including long flat sheets of metal albeit in somewhat limited width ranges, but that is why you have large gantry mounted burn tables 3 meter by 12 meter plates could be cut on our burn table