Laser Cutting
Search "how thick can a fiber laser cut" and you will find plenty of confident numbers and almost no sources. Thickness figures get quoted with no laser power attached, no material grade, and no document anyone is prepared to stand behind. This page is the opposite: one chart, every figure from the published Vantix specification sheet, and the qualifier that makes the numbers mean something printed on every row.
| Material | Maximum thickness | Metric | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel | up to 5 in | 127 mm | at 60 kW |
| Stainless steel | up to 3.5 in | 89 mm | at 60 kW |
| Aluminum | up to 2.5 in | 64 mm | at 60 kW |
| Copper | supported cutting material; no published maximum | demo-verified per job | |
| Brass | supported cutting material; no published maximum | demo-verified per job | |
| Titanium | supported cutting material; no published maximum | demo-verified per job | |
Source: the Vantix fiber laser cutting specification sheet, and the same figures on the FLC 3–60 kW specifications page. Sixty kilowatts is the top step of the platform's power range; the maximums above are rated there and only there.
The Vantix fiber cutting platform is sold in eight power steps: 3, 6, 10, 12, 20, 30, 40 and 60 kW. A thickness maximum is a property of a specific power level, not of "a fiber laser." The 5 in steel figure belongs to the 60 kW machine. Buy a lower power step and every maximum in the chart drops with it.
How far does it drop? Vantix does not publish a per-power thickness table, so we will not print one. Any table you find that fills in those blanks for a machine its author has never run is guesswork wearing a spreadsheet. The honest way to answer "what will 12 kW do on my 1 in plate" is the way Vantix answers it: bring the plate, cut it, and measure the edge.
Published, and safe to hold us to: the eight-step power range of 3 to 60 kW; maximum thickness for steel, stainless and aluminum at 60 kW; a materials list of steel, stainless, aluminum, copper, brass and titanium; ±0.03 mm positioning accuracy; 450 ft/min maximum positioning speed; a standard 5 ft × 10 ft cutting area configurable up to 12 ft × 60 ft; YASKAWA servo motion control; and a stress-relieved 12 mm welded steel bed.
Not published anywhere in Vantix's documents: per-power thickness tables, cutting speeds by thickness and assist gas, and thickness maximums for copper, brass and titanium. If a salesperson quotes you a figure from the second list, from us or from anyone, ask which document it comes from. That question costs nothing and settles almost everything.
Serious manufacturers qualify thickness by power too, which is worth seeing side by side:
Three different vendors, three different power levels, three different numbers, all legitimate, because each one carries its qualifier. The pattern to distrust is the unqualified one. If you are weighing brands as much as thicknesses, the head-to-head pages cover the same ground in more depth: how Vantix compares to TRUMPF and Vantix vs Bystronic, and the wider market in Canadian fiber laser suppliers compared.
Maximum thickness tells you what the machine can sever. It does not tell you what your shop should quote every day. Most fabricators buy well below the 60 kW ceiling because their work mix lives in sheet and mid plate, and the right question is not "what is the biggest number" but "which power step covers the thickest material I actually sell, with headroom." The platform's production case does not rest on the ceiling either: Vantix rates it up to 80% faster than plasma, holds ±0.03 mm repeatability, and builds for three-shift duty cycles with a stress-relieved bed and zoned dust extraction.
That is a sizing conversation, and it is exactly what a demo is for.
Every figure on this page is from the published sheet, and the sheet's own closing line is the right one: see it cut your material. Bring your thickest plate to the Lumby, BC showroom, and we will cut it in front of you before you sign anything. Systems ship with a 2-year warranty, 5-day on-site training, a first-year spare parts kit stocked in BC, a 24/7 Canadian hotline and 48-hour on-site service in Western Canada. Book a demo or request a quote, or start with the full fiber laser cutting systems page.
At the top 60 kW configuration, published capability is up to 5 in (127 mm) in steel, up to 3.5 in (89 mm) in stainless, and up to 2.5 in (64 mm) in aluminum.
Two cautions on those numbers. They are maximums for the highest power level in the range, not a general figure, and a lower-power machine cuts proportionally thinner. Maximum thickness and production-speed thickness are also different numbers, and the second one usually matters more to a shop that has to hit a delivery date.
Ask us to confirm the figures against the documentation for the specific configuration you are considering.
Vantix fiber lasers cut steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass and titanium.
Material capability and thickness capability are two separate questions. A machine that cuts a metal at all will not cut every gauge of it, and achievable thickness varies with the power level configured on your machine. Tell us the metals and gauges you run most often and we will confirm what a given configuration will hold in production, rather than at its maximum.
Vantix fiber laser cutting systems are offered in 3, 6, 10, 12, 20, 30, 40 and 60 kW configurations.
Higher power does more than extend maximum thickness. It also raises cutting speed on thinner material, so the right choice depends on your thickest regular part, your material mix, and how many hours a day the machine needs to be productive. Shops running mostly light and medium gauge often land lower in the range; plate-heavy and high-throughput shops land higher.
Send us a representative part mix and we will suggest a starting configuration.
Yes. Copper, brass and aluminum are all on the supported material list for Vantix fiber laser cutting systems.
Reflective metals were a genuine constraint for older CO2 laser technology, which is where the concern originally comes from. The fiber wavelength is absorbed far more efficiently by these metals, which is why they sit within normal operating range on a modern fiber machine.
If reflective material is a large share of your work rather than an occasional job, say so during sizing so the configuration accounts for it.
