Remove oxide: How to perfect your laser part
Oxide removal is always necessary when laser flame cutting, i.e. oxygen cutting, produces parts that are then coated or welded. If sheet metal blanks are powdered or painted with an oxide layer, then the oxide layer and the coating will fall off even with a slight force. The quality of the weld seam also suffers, parts are welded with an oxide layer. Alternatively, the oxide layer can also be prevented by using laser fusion cutting, i.e. cutting with nitrogen. For material thicknesses beyond 4 mm, this is only reluctantly used for reasons of economy. The compact overview offers you everything you need to know about "removing oxide". We are your competent experts for individual questions.
Different options for oxide removal
It is the common method in combustion plants that the adhering oxide layer is processed with blasting technology. The blasting technology used in the kilns is often not available to companies that act as sheet metal processors. In addition, too much energy is put into the part, so that distortion occurs with thinner materials. For this reason, the oxide layer must be removed in a different way in case of thinner sheets. As a rule, the deburring machine is then used to professionally remove oxide. The oxide layer created by processing the sheet with the laser can usually be brushed off in a pleasantly uncomplicated manner. However, the success of the measures also depends on how old the work pieces are and which alloys have been used. It is possible that the oxide layer is sometimes anchored a little more stubbornly. The tools must then attack the edges of the sheets accordingly aggressively.
Remove oxide: wire brush is a common method
The most common tool for removing oxide is the wire brush. There are two different versions of this. If the wires are firmly clamped in a carrier, there is an alternating bending load during the machining process. At higher immersion depths, this often very quickly leads to the wires breaking and thus shortening the service life of the brushes.
The alternative is spring steel wire brushes - designed as leg springs on a round brush. This prevents the alternating bending load at the clamping point and makes it possible to remove significantly more thick sheet metal from the oxide.
Our profiRounder in action against the oxide layer
With the profiRounder from Karl Heesemann Maschinenfabrik, your company has a system for deburring and rounding edges, which you can individually configure and use as required thanks to the completely modular structure. The flexible applicability also applies to the processing of oxide layers after laser flame cutting. Removing oxide with wire brushes is what profiRounder does with both of the technologies described - depending on the material thickness and your requirements.
