Fiber laser cutting - why it boosts your output

Laser cutting has fundamentally transformed the way thicker steel is processed across the fabrication industry. Where traditional methods like plasma or oxy-fuel cutting once dominated, laser technology now offers unmatched precision, speed, and efficiency, even in heavier materials.

At the end of the day, it’s not just about cutting sheets, it’s about how much finished product you can move downstream. In this article, I want to walk you through five areas where fiber laser technology really makes a difference in plate processing - and why they matter on the shop floor.

• BENCHMARKING PERFORMANCE & AUTOMATION
  We set the bar by showing what true lights-out automation and consistent output look like.
  
• THE HIDDEN BOTTLENECK: LOAD BALANCING
  Everyone recognizes the frustration of a machine standing still, but not everyone talks about load balancing.
  
• POWER UNLEASHED: THE 40 KW ADVANTAGE
  Extra horsepower doesn’t just sound good on paper; it translates directly into faster throughput.
  
• EVERY PLATE, A SELLABLE PART
  Nothing kills output like re-cuts and grinding. We deliver clean, weld-ready edges that keep parts flowing straight into the next process.
  
• SAFETY WITHOUT SACRIFICE
  Pushing output higher only works if your operators stay safe. We prove you don’t have to choose between the two.

WHY WE USE THE V353 AS REFERENCE

In short, the machine was built to excel in all five areas, with standout performance in output and automation. The V353 is a moving-gantry fiber laser plate cutting machine. Cutting takes place inside a sealed gantry that travels over a buffered stack of plates resting on a cutting bed that can be extended to 36 m (120 ft). The gantry frame is lightweight yet rigid to support 1.4G acceleration, and it is fully enclosed for laser safety, even during 45° bevel cutting.

The V353 is also one of the few plate lasers that performs automatic nozzle changes and in-process quality checks without operator intervention. Together with the large plate buffer, this enables true lights-out production, including overnight shifts, which can significantly increase output without adding labor cost.

Hopefully this clarifies my starting position.

One of the V353’s biggest productivity boosters is its long, modular cutting bed, which can be extended up to 36 meters (120 feet).

Amazing, right? You get full cutting production overnight, totally automated, without anyone on site.

THE HIDDEN BOTTLENECK: LOAD BALANCING

We see it so often that it starts to feel normal - a machine sitting idle while operators hustle to unload parts by hand. Cutting times ebb and flow through the day, and you certainly can’t outrun a fiber laser on a single sheet. If you can only swap a single cutting table, then you’re stuck. There is a better way: balancing short and long jobs. Let’s talk about how to make that your normal.

WHY LOAD BALANCING MATTERS

When thicknesses and plate sizes vary job to job, cutting times and unloading times do not line up. One phase might leave a small nest in remnant material that finishes in under 10 minutes, then the next phase locks the machine on a thick‑plate nest for nearly half a shift. With only two cutting tables, you have little room to smooth these peaks and valleys or to compensate for the manual unloading of parts. The result is stop‑start utilization, extra forklift moves, and operators waiting on the machine instead of the machine waiting on them.

BUILT TO BUFFER

How do you keep the right balance between cutting and unloading to maximize productivity? The answer is simple: a modular cutting bed up to 36 meters long, 120 ft, paired with a high-speed gantry that never slows down. With this setup, the Voortman V353 lets operators stage multiple plates at once and maintain a seamless flow between cutting and unloading. You can balance your workload of unloading versus processing over an entire day - instead of a single sheet. The V353 is built to buffer work so the laser keeps cutting while people keep moving. Plates of all sizes and thicknesses can stay put between phases, saving time otherwise lost on logistics and storage.

JIT- ANOTHER ADVANTAGE

This is where just-in-time production really comes in. Instead of cutting everything upfront and stacking parts somewhere in storage, you can cut when the downstream process is ready. This way, your parts flow directly into welding, machining, or assembly without sitting around as inventory. It reduces handling, frees up floor space, and keeps production moving at the pace of demand.

MORE POWER, MORE OUTPUT

Many people figure that if you double the laser-source power, you automatically double your cutting output. It feels as logical as saying a 400 hp car should go twice as fast as a 200 hp car. In reality, the higher-powered car rockets from 0-100 quicker and delivers more torque, yet both cars usually top out in a similar speed range because aerodynamics, gearing, and tire limits all come into play.

Lasers operate under the same kinds of physical limits. Beyond a certain point, cut speed is governed by how fast assist gas can clear the kerf and how well the material absorbs energy. Those steps take time, regardless of how many extra kilowatts you throw at them.
That does not mean a 40 kW laser fails to add value; it absolutely boosts throughput. The key is understanding where the extra power helps.

WHY EQUIP THE VOORTMAN V353 WITH A 40 KW LASER SOURCE?

Choosing the 40 kW option unleashes the V353’s full capability on heavy plate and delivers gains that a 15 kW system simply cannot match in that area:

• Higher overall output through faster cutting speeds
  Thanks to the extra horsepower in a 40 kW laser, the V353 reaches higher feed speeds and makes more effective use of its traverse speed. It reaches cutting speeds a 15 kW machine just cannot touch without risking incomplete penetration or rough edges. On 25 to 50 mm (1 to 2") mild-steel plate, customers routinely see productivity jump by 30 to over 60 percent, depending on assist-gas and nozzle choices. Every second you shave off the cycle puts more finished parts on the table by the end of the shift, so you boost throughput without adding extra hands or overtime.

The weighted average plate thickness of steel fabricators is 12mm. At this thickness even the 15kW laser source of the V353 already cuts 3,5 times faster than the plasma process.

• Wider clean-cut window, right up to 50 mm / 2"
  In other words, the 40 kW laser supplies enough energy to keep the entire kerf cross-section molten as it advances through plate up to 50 mm / 2" thick. Maintaining a fully molten kerf is what gives you those smooth, oxide-free edges that need little or no secondary finishing.
• Faster feed rates, less thermal load on the machine
  Because the beam can travel quicker, it dwells for a shorter time on any single spot. That lowers heat transfer into the slats and supporting structure, extending the life of the cutting bed and reducing maintenance downtime.
• Broader fiber core, easier part extraction
  A 40 kW source uses a thicker delivery fiber, which yields a slightly wider kerf. While that trims a few seconds off raw cutting speed, it pays back by making skeleton break-up and part removal noticeably easier - especially on nested 50 mm parts - so downstream handling stays efficient.

The Voortman V353 comes with a powerful and efficient 40 kW fiber laser, so it cuts through 50 mm (2 inch) thick plates with ease and without compromising on quality.

IN SHORT

The 40 kW configuration cuts thicker plate better and faster, protects the V353’s mechanics, and smooths the entire removal and handling workflow. The result is higher sustainable throughput and lower total cost per part in heavy-gauge production.

You load a 3 × 6 m (10 × 20 ft) sheet, press start, and the V353’s 15 kW or 40 kW fiber laser, guided by its vision-driven nozzle changer, traces every profile in a single pass - bevels included - even through 50 mm (2 in) plate. Cut product edges come off the table clean and within spec, so parts are weld ready. Operators skip grinding, re-cuts, and manual touch-ups, and components flow straight into welding and assembly while the V353 is already cutting your next nest.

Fewer interruptions, less scrap, and consistent accuracy combine to free capacity, letting the same crew push more tonnes and tons of steel through the shop each shift without adding labor or overtime.

Did you know? Products can be produced using common cut, because of the great perpendicularity of both cutting sides, improving output.

SAFETY AND OUTPUT WORKING HAND IN HAND

When the day shift starts, the V353’s long table is already full of freshly cut parts, thanks to its overnight, unmanned run. Your first job is to clear those parts and slide in new stock plates with the next nests queued up. While the laser is busy cutting the new sheets, you keep clearing the remaining pieces and try to stay ahead of the machine.

With a gantry that can cross a 3 × 6 m (10 × 20 ft) plate in about two seconds, operator safety is essential. Multi-zone laser scanners guard the work area by creating an outer warning band and an inner hard-stop zone. If anything breaks the stop zone, the beam shuts off and the gantry parks instantly; once the path is clear, VACAM resets automatically and cutting resumes almost without pause.

The built-in Resume Cutting feature then guides you right back to the exact pierce point, using live cutting data so the contour finishes cleanly with no witness mark. Fewer safety lockouts, quicker job changeovers, and continuous cutting time add up to a smoother shift and more parts out the door.

MORE ARTICLES