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Mild / Carbon (or Ferrous) Steels are materials where the main alloying element is Carbon. Typical applications range from sheetmetal components to cutting tools, and more or less everything in between. The carbon percentage in the material controls the hardness - standard mild steel has a relatively low carbon content, whereas tool steels will have a much higher percentage of carbon.
Laser Cut Mild Steel
This represents the largest percentage of our work here at Cutting Technologies. The cut quality is excellent, the level of detail achievable high, and the versatility of the material means it is used across a very wide range of industries. Laser cut sheetmetal for general fabrications combine with thicker plate cutting for industries ranging from structural steelworkers to agricultural equipment. Tool Steels are regularly cut for Precision Engineers, and Wear Plate is processed for Mould Makers and Construction Equipment Manufacturers. Laser Cut Steel is also used for creative applications - for example we regularly cut Corten (special rusting steel) for sculptures and street furniture.
- Examples
- Technical
- Quality
Laser Cut 15mm Mild Steel Balustrading for the Birmingham Bullring. The components were common-line cut (there were no gaps between the parts on the sheet) to maximise material utilisation. Cut Quality is absolutely critical for this type of application - every little defect shows up, and will lead to rejection by the client.
Other examples on this page may be more visually stimulating, but to us these are beautiful - Laser Cut parts for Engineering & Sheet Metal are what keep our company going! These are components for an Agricultural Equipment Manufacturer in 8mm thick Steel.
Decorative panels and gates created for a children's playground. The material is 6mm mild steel, and has been powder coated in primary colours after cutting to give a really effective finish. The panels were cut from paper patterns - we scanned these and turned them into a cutting program the lasers could understand - it took a while!
Laser Cut Corten and Stainless Steel street art. The contrast between the rusted corten and the polished stainless steel letters makes this industrial estate sign really stand out. Corten has become really popular recently, following its use in the Angel of the North sculpture.
Maximum Component Size |
3000x1500mm |
Minimum Component Size |
Very Small - depends on material thickness |
Maximum Thickness |
20mm |
Minimum Thickness |
<0.5mm |
Minimum Detail |
Detail should not be less than the material thickness e.g. minimum 6mm diameter hole in 6mm thick material |
General Cutting Tolerance |
>3mm - +/-0.1mm |
Effects of Thermal Cutting |
The cut edge can become hard - the higher the carbon content the harder the cut edge |
Common Grades Stocked |
CR4 / S275 / S355 / Corten / Spring Steel / Tread Plate / Galvanised / Zinc Coated |
Common Sheet Sizes |
2000x1000mm/2500x1250mm/3000x1500mm |
Common Applications |
Sheet Metalwork / General Fabrication / Structural / Architectural / OEM / Tools / Models / Sculpture / Art - the list really does go on! |
A close-up image of the edge of laser cut 10mm mild steel, showing the quality achievable. There are striations (ridges), but they are fine and even.
This time we're showing 20mm thick laser cut steel - the striations are more pronounced and uneven - you can see the cut beginning to break away at the bottom
An image of the surface and edge quality possible with 15mm "lasergrade" Raex Steel. This is a standard S275 material, but with a lower silicon content giving the best cut quality . The surface is also excellent. More expensive than standard steel, but the results are easily worth the additional cost if component quality has to be of the very highest order.