The Sustainability of Sheet Metal Laser Cutting: Breaking Things Down
If you had to make a list of some of the issues that are critically important for people today, sustainability is right at the top.
People want to do their part to help protect our fragile environment for future generations and, in the B2B world in particular, they're increasingly choosing partners for their supply chains that believe the same. Thankfully, many organizations like Yarder Manufacturing are going out of their way to accomplish precisely that, offering sustainable laser cutting services that allow us to do our part to combat these types of issues head-on.
Sheet Metal Fabrication in a Sustainable World: An Overview
One of the ways in which sheet metal laser cutting services in particular are inherently sustainable has to do with their precise nature. Because the laser can be used for extremely thin and accurate cutting, you're dealing with far less material waste than you would be through alternative methods.
Some other types of cutting techniques can have tolerances of roughly 1/8” which, to be fair, is quite variable. But with laser cutting, you're looking at tolerances that can get all the way down to 0.005”. This leads to a far higher material utilization rate than most clients are commonly used to.
This makes it all the more beneficial that laser cutting can be used on any type of material you might be working with. And now with our fiber optic laser this even incudes copper that was not previously possible because of the reflective properties.
Another one of the major reasons why sheet metal laser cutting (and this type of fabrication in general) is sustainable has to do with the low power utilization that this type of equipment is known for. With other types of tools, you're typically dealing with machines that have a lot of moving parts. Those parts require a significant amount of energy to operate, thus increasing costs for businesses and increasing their carbon footprint at the same time.
With laser cutting, you don't have to worry about that. Laser cutters don't require a lot of movement to operate efficiently, thus consuming smaller amounts of energy as well. There are also no lubricants needed in sheet metal laser cutting that could potentially harm the environment.
Finally, one way that a lot of companies have been embracing the sustainable nature of laser cutting has to do with investing in high-quality machines that are built to last. There are manufacturers that are building laser cutters that can last 15 years or more, even under heavy use. This again helps to reduce contamination from older and less efficient equipment and helps save money on behalf of the buyer at the same time.
If you'd like to find out more information about the lengths a sheet metal laser cutting company is willing to go to in order to be sustainable, or if you'd just like to discuss the specifics of your next big project with someone in a bit more detail, please don't delay - contact the team at yarded Manufacturing today.
