Plastics vs. Metals: Revealing the Cost Difference in Laser Processing

The main differences in the costs of laser processing for plastic and metal come from the characteristics of the material, processing parameters, and energy efficiency.By comparing actual data, it analyzes the differences in cutting speed, material consumption, and process complexity, helping manufacturing users choose the more economical processing solution based on their needs.

Why is the processing cost so much higher?

Many people are surprised to discover that the price of laser processing a plastic part can be several times that of processing an identical part in metal. The reason is that the properties of the materials and the difficulty of processing them are key factors in determining the price.

The characteristics of the material determine the difficulty of processing it.

Plastic is easily melted or carbonized by high-energy laser beams.For example, acrylics must be cut slowly with low power to ensure that the edges are smooth, which naturally lengthens the processing time.Although metal parts are harder, materials like stainless steel can be cut with a fiber laser, which makes the process even faster.

The cost of consumables must not be ignored.

When cutting metal, the consumption of auxiliary gases such as oxygen and nitrogen is much higher than when cutting plastics.Last time there was a client who did computer cases. They used 5mm stainless steel plates. Just the gas costs accounted for 30 % of the total cost.Although plastic processing uses only a small amount of gas, the protective lenses have to be changed quite often, because melted plastic sticks to them so easily.

Comparative analysis of actual cases.

We have tested a 20-millimeter-thick material.

- It takes four minutes to cut a piece of ABS plastic, and the lens must be changed after 50 pieces.

- 1.5 minutes per aluminum plate of the same thickness, but gas consumption is eight times higher than for plastic.

Which one is a better buy?

If it is a small batch of custom parts, the overall cost of plastic processing may be even lower.But if you're going to make thousands of pieces, the price advantage of the metal parts becomes apparent.One medical device manufacturer learned the hard way that the quality of metal parts was higher than that of plastic, and that the total cost of production was 15 % lower.

Tips for saving money.

1. A hybrid plastic-metal workpiece can be separated into plastic and metal parts.

2. Confirm with the factory in advance the rate of utilization of surplus materials.

3. Plastic processing is the first choice for thin-walled parts (< 3 mm).

Finally, I want to say that when choosing materials, you can't just look at the processing costs. You have to also consider how they will be used later.For instance, for parts that have to bear great weight and withstand wear, even if the cost of metal processing is higher, in the long run it may be more cost-effective.