Pierce Time Estimator
Calculate laser piercing time for accurate cost estimates and job planning
Job Parameters
Pierce Time Impact:
- Increases linearly with hole count
- Can represent 20-40% of total job time
- Often overlooked in manual quotes
Enter parameters to calculate pierce time
Pierce Time Reference (6kW Fiber Laser)
| Material | 1mm | 3mm | 6mm | 10mm | 15mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mild Steel | 0.05s | 0.15s | 0.4s | 0.8s | 1.5s |
| Stainless Steel | 0.08s | 0.25s | 0.6s | 1.2s | 2.0s |
| Aluminum | 0.06s | 0.18s | 0.5s | 1.0s | 1.8s |
| Brass | 0.10s | 0.30s | 0.7s | 1.4s | 2.5s |
| Copper | 0.12s | 0.35s | 0.85s | 1.6s | 3.0s |
Pierce times are approximate and vary with laser power, gas pressure, nozzle condition, and material quality. Times scale inversely with power (12kW ≈ 0.5× these values).
Understanding Pierce Time
What Is Piercing?
Piercing is the process of creating an initial hole through the material before the laser begins cutting a contour. The laser must burn completely through the material at a single point, which requires significantly more time than cutting along a line because there's no forward motion to distribute the heat.
Why Pierce Time Matters
Pierce time is often overlooked in manual quotes, but it can represent 20-40% of total job time for parts with many small features. For example, a 100-hole part in 10mm steel requires 40-80 seconds of pure piercing time before any cutting begins. At $100/hour machine rate, that's $1.10-2.20 just for piercing.
Pierce Time vs. Cutting Time
Example: 10mm Mild Steel with 6kW Fiber Laser
- Pierce time: 0.8 seconds per hole
- Cutting speed: 1 m/min = 16.7 mm/sec
- Cutting 10mm would take: 0.6 seconds
- Result: Piercing takes 33% longer than cutting the same thickness
Cost-Effective Pierce Reduction Strategies
1. Edge Starts
Position features on part edges to eliminate piercing. A slot that reaches the edge requires no pierce.
2. Common-Line Cutting
Nest parts so they share cutting lines. Each shared line eliminates one pierce.
3. Feature Consolidation
Replace multiple small holes with fewer larger features where functionally acceptable.
4. Batch Processing
Group similar parts to amortize setup time and maximize material utilization, reducing pierce count per part.