Tube laser cutting machines

A tube laser is a fiber laser cutting machine built for long stock: round and square tube, pipe and open profiles such as channel and angle. Chucks rotate and feed the bar while the head cuts holes, slots, notches and shaped ends in one pass, so it suits fabricators who now saw, drill and cope tube in separate steps.

How a tube laser works

A bar is loaded onto the machine and clamped in chucks. The rear chuck feeds the bar forward and rotates it, while a front chuck or support holds it close to the cutting head so the section does not whip or sag. The head works over a short stroke while the chucks turn the tube beneath it, which lets the machine cut features on every face. Finished parts are cut free and moved onto an unloading table, and the next part starts from the same bar.

Two details separate a good tube laser from a basic one. The first is clamping: self-centring chucks, such as the collet chucks on Trumpf's TruLaser Tube 5000 fiber, adapt to the section and hold it without damage. The second is seam handling. Welded tube has an internal seam that can interfere with holes and slots, so machines like the Mazak FT-150 NEO detect the weld seam and turn the tube to the right position before cutting. Trumpf's SeamLine Tube does the same and can also scan the inside of the tube.

Mazak lists the steps its tube laser replaces: sawing, blanking, bevel grinding, drilling and hole tapping. That consolidation is usually the main argument for a tube laser, more than raw cutting speed. Our tube laser versus saw and drill comparison looks at when the switch makes sense.

Main machine types

Beyond size, look at the chuck arrangement. Two chucks are the common layout, and makers such as Senfeng also build three-chuck heavy-duty machines and 12 m machines with four chucks for long, heavy bars. End-of-bar waste deserves attention, because a remnant on every bar adds up across a production run. BLM says the BLM Group LT14 FIBER has a zero-scrap mode in which the head moves to the other side of the spindles and cuts the last part out of the bar end.

Bevel heads are the other big option. The HSG TP65S carries a 0 to 45 degree bevel head, and Trumpf offers bevel cuts up to 45 degrees on the TruLaser Tube 5000, so weld preparation can happen on the laser instead of at a grinding station.

How to choose: key specs

• Section range. Maximum and minimum round diameter, maximum square and rectangular side, and whether open profiles (channel, angle, H-beam) are supported. Measure the range you buy today and the one you expect in a few years.
• Weight per metre and bar weight. Heavy wall and large sections reach the limits of the chucks and loader quickly, so check both the kg/m rating and the maximum weight of a single bar.
• Bar length and part length. Many machines take 6.5 m stock, while heavy machines load longer bars, such as 12.5 to 16.5 m on the LT14 FIBER. Check the longest finished part the unloader can support.
• Laser power. Tube walls are usually thin compared with plate, so the machines in this category run from 1.5 to 6 kW. Power still decides speed and maximum wall; the sheet-focused fiber laser power guide explains the general relationship.
• Loading and unloading. Manual loading suits short runs of mixed sections. A bundle loader, or a chain loader on heavy machines, separates bars and feeds them one at a time, so the machine can run through a shift with little attention.
• Software. Tube parts are three-dimensional. Check that the programming software imports your CAD files, nests parts along the bar and handles copes and bevels without manual editing.

What your plant needs

• Length of floor. A tube laser is long and narrow: raw bar length on the infeed side, finished part length on the outfeed side, plus the loader and service access. Plan forklift or crane access for bundles and a place for remnants. Our floor preparation guide covers slab, levelling and anchoring.
• Power. Check the machine's input voltage against a 600 V three-phase supply and plan a transformer if needed, as explained in 600 V power for imported machines. The chiller and extraction add to the load.
• Gas and air. Tube cutting uses the same assist gases as sheet (oxygen, nitrogen or dry compressed air), and many machines also use compressed air for pneumatic chucks.
• Extraction. Fume and dust are drawn from the cutting zone into a filter unit. Stainless and galvanized tube deserve the same attention to fume as sheet.
• Laser safety and approval. Tube lasers are normally enclosed; BLM, for example, describes the LT14 FIBER as a Class 1 laser system. A machine without a recognized electrical certification mark needs a field evaluation before use in Canada, explained in our CSA certification guide.

Running costs and consumables

• Material yield. Remnants per bar add up quickly. Ask for the minimum remnant length and whether the machine can cut the bar end.
• Assist gas. High-pressure nitrogen on thin walls is a major cost; Trumpf says its nozzle design saves an average of 33 percent of cutting gas when high-pressure cutting 1 to 3 mm walls.
• Head consumables: nozzles and protective windows, as on a sheet laser.
• Chuck jaws and supports, which wear and may need changing for different sections.
• Electricity, chiller and extraction filters, plus software licences and preventive maintenance.

Typical applications

Tube lasers cut frames for furniture and fitness equipment, racking and shelving, handrails and machine guards, truck bodies, agricultural and trailer frames, and supports for HVAC and building services. They make the biggest difference where a part has several holes or shaped ends that would otherwise need layout, drilling and grinding, and where slot-and-tab joints can take the place of welding fixtures.