CNC Laser Cutting Machines for Metal: Fiber vs CO2, Open vs Enclosed, Sheet vs Tube, 3015 vs 6020

A CNC laser cutting machine for metal can be a fiber machine, an enclosed machine and a sheet machine at the same time. Those labels answer different questions. Separate the beam source, guarding, workpiece and working area before comparing quotations.

A purchase description such as “enclosed fiber sheet cutter” still leaves the plate format, table arrangement and actual part requirement open. Start with your drawing and stock sheet, then ask each supplier to describe the same configuration. This guide compares those choices using BEIGEMA’s published sheet-machine formats.

Read machine types as separate choices

Keep these choices on separate lines in the quotation. An enclosure describes the machine surround; an exchange table describes material handling. Neither label, by itself, states the metal thickness a machine will cut or the quality of the finished edge.

Fiber vs CO2: identify the complete metal-cutting system

Laser cutting concentrates a beam onto the workpiece while CNC motion follows the programmed path. Fiber lasers use an active solid medium in glass fiber; CO2 lasers use a gas medium. TWI explains the process and source families in What is Laser Cutting?.

The source name alone does not establish suitability for your part. Ask for confirmation against the actual alloy, thickness, outline and edge requirement. An industrial CO2 metal-cutting system should not be assessed by the capabilities of a hobby engraving machine.

BEIGEMA’s products compared here are fiber sheet-cutting machines. The BM single-table fiber laser product page identifies carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum among its materials and describes a welded frame. Those catalog statements do not establish a cutting result for every grade and thickness.

Keep source selection separate from power sizing. Use the fiber laser power guide for that discussion, with your material list beside it. If the process itself is undecided, the laser and plasma comparison addresses that separate choice.

Open vs enclosed: compare access and material handling

An open configuration leaves the cutting bed accessible without a surrounding full enclosure. A fully covered configuration surrounds the working zone. Request the actual guarding arrangement and operating instructions for the quoted machine; a product photograph cannot establish the complete protective system.

The BM fully covered exchange-table product page describes an enclosure, double exchange tables and CNC nesting functions. Record those as separate features when comparing it with the single-table machine. Ask how the offered table change, loading access and extraction arrangement fit your workshop.

Trace the sheet’s route through the shop on the proposed layout: stock storage, loading position, cutting bed, unloading position and scrap collection. Include space for access and maintenance. A quoted cutting area is not the installed footprint or the space needed to handle a sheet.

Sheet vs tube: match the support to the workpiece

A sheet machine supports flat stock on a cutting bed. A tube or profile job needs a proposal that addresses how the section is held, supported and moved. Send the section drawing rather than describing the job only as “metal laser cutting.”

For a tube enquiry, request the permitted profile shapes, chuck range, loading length, support arrangement and remaining tail waste. Show holes, end cuts and any orientation requirement. These are fields to confirm with the supplier, not specifications established by the sheet-machine pages linked here.

The RAS-3015T and RAS-6020T entries below are listed with sheet cutting areas. The letter in a model name is not evidence of tube capability. A combined sheet-and-tube offer needs its own documented tube configuration and workpiece limits.

3015 vs 6020: compare the dimensions by their headings

In these catalog tables, 3015 and 6020 identify machine formats, not laser wattage. The open-machine table reports plate size and axis travel separately. The enclosed-machine table uses a cutting-area heading. Keep those headings attached to the numbers when transferring them into a purchase specification.

The table transcribes the corresponding entries from the linked BM product pages. Blank comparisons are deliberate: a cutting-area value has not been relabeled as stock size or axis travel. Choose the format around the sheets and parts you actually plan to load, then confirm clearance and nesting requirements in the offered configuration.

Send a quotation brief that can be checked

• Material: alloy or grade, thickness range and surface condition.
• Stock: sheet dimensions, or the section drawing and loading length for tube work.
• Part: drawing file, critical dimensions, hole details and required edge condition.
• Production: part mix, batch pattern and planned loading and unloading method.
• Installation: available layout, handling equipment and services to be confirmed.
• Acceptance: sample part, inspection dimensions and the configuration used for the proposed test.

Keep the drawing revision attached to the enquiry and request that the quotation refer to it. If a supplier proposes another bed size or table arrangement, ask which requirement drove that change. This makes differences between offers easier to resolve before a machine is selected.

Ask the supplier to mark which items are included and which remain subject to confirmation. Keep the proposed configuration beside any sample-cut report, so a demonstrated result is tied to the equipment actually being offered.

Assist gas is another configuration decision; the sheet-metal laser assist-gas guide covers that topic. Keep the proposed gas and edge requirement in the cutting proposal rather than assuming they follow from the enclosure or model label.

Questions buyers ask

Does an enclosed machine automatically include exchange tables?

No. Guarding and table handling are separate attributes. The BM enclosed product described here lists both, but a quotation should confirm each feature explicitly.

Is a 6020 machine more powerful than a 3015 machine?

Those labels identify formats in the cited catalog. Read laser power in its own specification field and check the offered cutting process against the part drawing.

Can the sheet models listed here also cut tube?

The cited entries establish sheet formats. Send your tube drawing and request a documented tube configuration; do not infer it from a model suffix.

Send BEIGEMA your drawing and configuration brief, or message WhatsApp +86 18005147868. Include material, stock format and the part requirement so the enquiry can be checked against a specific proposal.