30-60mm (depending on the power)

The thickness range of steel plates cut by a laser cutting machine is mainly determined by the power of the equipment. As the power increases, the cutting capacity is significantly enhanced:

Cutting thickness range under conventional power

1. 3000W laser cutting machine

Carbon steel plate: maximum batch cutting of 20mm (bright surface cutting generally does not exceed 12mm)

Stainless steel plate: maximum 10mm (bright surface cutting is recommended to be ≤8mm)

2. 6000W laser cutting machine

Carbon steel plate: conventional cutting of 25mm, the limit can reach 3 0mm (but the quality decreases above 25mm)

Stainless steel plate: 20mm (the quality is unstable above 12mm)

‌3. 10,000W (8000W+) laser cutting machine‌

‌Carbon steel plate‌: can cut up to 45-60mm (the quality is better below 40mm in actual application)

Stainless steel plate: 40-50mm (need to cooperate with high power and optimized parameters)

Key influencing factors

‌Balance between cutting quality and thickness‌: For example, the batch cutting speed of 3000W equipment for 20mm carbon steel can reach 18-20mm/s, but the bright surface cutting is recommended to be controlled within 12mm.

‌Technology upgrade trend‌: High-power equipment (such as 10kW+) can achieve 6-7 times the cutting efficiency of low-power equipment through nitrogen/compressed air assistance.

Compared with other cutting technologies

For extremely thick steel plates over 50mm, plasma cutting is still a more economical solution. Water jet cutting and wire cutting have more advantages in the field of non-metal or high-precision molds.