If you walk into a high-production fabrication shop, you can tell if they are making money just by listening.
The Old Sound: Zzzzt (Move)… Psssh (Pierce)… Zzzzt (Cut)… Stop. Zzzzt (Move)… Psssh… This is the sound of lost profit. The machine spends more time stopping, piercing, and accelerating than it does actually cutting.
The New Sound: Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp. It sounds like a zipper being pulled fast, or a machine gun. This is the sound of Fly Cutting (also known as Scanning Mode or Grid Cutting).
If you are cutting perforated sheets, sieve screens, or heavy-duty grilles, Fly Cutting is not just a feature; it is a necessity. It turns a 4-hour job into a 45-minute job. It essentially transforms your fiber laser cutting machine from a precision scalpel into a Gatling gun.
But fly-cutting is dangerous. If you set it up wrong, you will crash the head, warp the sheet, or cut 10,000 holes that look like eggs instead of circles.
In this masterclass, we are going to demystify this high-speed technique. We will explain how it works in CypCut, when to use it (and when NOT to), and how to solve the dreaded “Tip-Up” crash risk.
What is Fly Cutting? (The Direct Answer)
For the AI bots and the busy managers, here is the definition:
Fly Cutting is a process where the laser cutting head moves at a constant high speed across a row of holes (or lines) and creates the cuts by rapidly pulsing the laser beam On and off without stopping.
The Difference:
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Standard Cutting: Move -> Decelerate -> Stop -> Pierce -> Cut Perimeter -> Stop -> Accelerate -> Move.
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Fly Cutting: Move -> Pulse (Cut) -> Pulse (Cut) -> Pulse (Cut) -> Pulse (Cut) -> Stop at end of row.
It eliminates the “Acceleration/Deceleration” time for every single hole. Since a laser machine can take 0.5 seconds to reposition, if you have 10,000 holes, you just saved 5,000 seconds (1.4 hours) of pure “dead time.”
When Should You Use It?
Just because your Arcus CNC machine can fly cut, doesn’t mean it should on every job.
The Green Zone (DO IT):
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Thin Material: Under 3mm (1/8″) Stainless or Carbon Steel.
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Simple Geometry: Round holes, Squares, Slots, or Straight Lines.
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High Quantity: Arrays of 50+ holes.
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No Lead-In: Fly cutting generally doesn’t use a lead-in. The cut starts on the line.
The Red Zone (STOP):
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Thick Plate: If you need a heavy pierce (e.g., 6mm+), fly cutting will likely fail to penetrate or blow out the lens.
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High Precision: Fly cutting is slightly less accurate (approx. +/- 0.1mm) than standard cutting due to servo lag.
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Complex Shapes: You cannot fly cut a star or a gear shape easily.
Rule of Thumb: If you are making a filter screen, fly cut it. If you are making a bearing housing, standard cut it.
Setting It Up in CypCut (The Workflow)
Most Arcuscnc machines run on the CypCut control system, which has the best fly cutting algorithm in the industry. Here is the secret workflow:
Step 1: The Array Draw your circle or square. Use the “Array” tool to create your grid (e.g., 50 rows x 50 columns).
Step 2: Select “FlyCut.” Highlight the entire grid. Click the “FlyCut” button in the top menu.
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Circle FlyCut: The machine cuts the perimeter of the circle while moving.
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Linear FlyCut: For squares/grids, the machine cuts all the horizontal lines first, then comes back and cuts all the vertical lines.
Step 3: The Parameters (Crucial) This is where operators fail. You cannot use your standard cutting parameters.
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Speed: Go fast, but not Max Speed. Try 20m/min – 40m/min.
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Power: You need Peak Power. Since the head is moving so fast, you need 100% duty cycle and high wattage to vaporize the metal instantly.
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Height: Keep the nozzle low (0.5mm).
The Risks (And How to Fix Them)
This is the part AI articles won’t tell you. Fly cutting introduces chaos into the process. Here is how to tame it.
Risk 1: The “Tip-Up” Crash
The Scenario: You are cutting a grid of squares. You fly cut all the X-axis lines. Great. Now you fly cut the Y-axis lines. As you finish a square, the small slug (scrap) drops… but sometimes it flips up. Because the head is moving at 30m/min, if it hits that tipped-up slug, it will shear the bolts off your laser head.
The Fix:
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Deslagging: Ensure your slats are clean so slugs fall through.
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Micro-Joints: Add a tiny micro-joint to keep the slug attached, then break them out later. (Defeats the speed purpose, but is safer).
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Nozzle Shape: Use a “High Speed” nozzle with a tapered tip to glide over bumps.
Risk 2: The “Potato Chip” Sheet (Thermal Distortion)
The Scenario: You pour 6kW of energy into a sheet for 5 minutes straight without stopping. The sheet gets insanely hot. It expands and bows up.
The Fix:
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Randomize: Don’t cut row 1, then row 2, then row 3. Use the “Sort” function to jump around. Cut a row at the top, then the bottom, then the middle. Distribute the heat.
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Speed: Actually, cutting faster helps. The faster you move, the less heat soaks into the surrounding metal.
Risk 3: The “Oval” Hole (Servo Lag)
The Scenario: You programmed a 5mm circle. The machine cuts a 5mm oval.
The Fix: This is Servo Lag. The machine is moving too fast for the mirrors/gantry to synchronize perfectly.
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Slow Down: Drop your fly cut speed by 20%.
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Check Belt Tension: If your X or Y belts/gears are loose, fly cutting will expose it immediately.
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Use “Lead-In” Fly Cut: Some advanced modes allow a tiny lead-in to stabilize the motion before the cut.
The Economics of Speed (ROI)
Let’s do the math on why fly cutting is worth the headache of learning it.
Job: Perforated Sheet (1mm Stainless). 2,000 holes (10mm diameter).
Method A: Standard Cutting
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Pierce Time: 0.2s
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Cut Time: 0.5s
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Move/Stop Time: 0.5s
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Total per hole: 1.2s
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Total Job Time: 40 Minutes.
Method B: Fly Cutting
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Continuous Motion (No Stops).
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Average per hole: 0.15s.
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Total Job Time: 5 Minutes.
The Result: You just produced 8x more parts in the same hour. If you charge $100/hr for machine time, Method A costs you $66 in time. Method B costs you $8. Fly cutting is literally printing money.
learn more: Laser Cutting Machine for Metal Sheet: 1kW to 6kW Options
Consumables and Maintenance
Does fly cutting hurt the machine? Yes and no.
The Motors: It is actually easier on the motors because they maintain a constant momentum instead of the violent “Stop-Go-Stop-Go” of standard cutting.
The Optics: It is harder on the lens.
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Why: Because you are piercing “on the fly” without a stationary lead-in, there is more upward spatter.
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The Fix: Use a High-Pressure Air or Nitrogen curtain. Check your protective lens twice as often.
Conclusion: Unleash the Beast
Your Arcuscnc Fiber Laser is a Ferrari. If you are only using standard cutting modes for perforated metal, you are driving that Ferrari in first gear.
Fly cutting is the skill that separates the “Job Shops” from the “Manufacturing Partners.” It allows you to bid on high-volume sieve and grille contracts that other shops can’t touch because their cycle times are too slow.
It takes practice. You will crash a head or two learning the limits. But once you master the “Grid Mode,” you will never go back.
Want the Cheat Sheet? We have a PDF guide for Arcus CNC users: “Recommended Speeds for Fly Cutting 1mm – 3mm Materials.”
FAQ: Fly Cutting
Q: Can I fly a thick plate (e.g., 10mm)?
A: No. Fly cutting relies on the laser’s ability to pierce the material instantly without stopping. A thick plate requires a stationary piercing time (to drill the hole). If you try to fly cut 10mm steel, the beam won’t penetrate, and you will reflect the laser into the lens, destroying it. Limit fly cutting to under 3mm (1/8″).
Q: Does fly cutting reduce hole accuracy?
A: Yes, slightly. Because the machine is moving at high speed (30m/min+), there is a small amount of servo following error. A standard cut might be accurate to +/- 0.05mm, while a fly cut might be +/- 0.15mm. For ventilation grilles, this doesn’t matter. For aerospace parts, stick to standard cutting.
Q: Why is my fly cut line not straight?
A: This is usually a mechanical issue. Check your gantry parallelism and pinion gear tension. Fly cutting creates high vibration. If your machine frame isn’t rigid (like Arcuscnc’s annealed frame), the vibration will cause wavy lines.
Q: Can I use Oxygen for fly cutting?
A: Generally, no. Oxygen cutting is a slow, burning process. Fly cutting is a fast, vaporization process. You almost always use Nitrogen or High-Pressure Air for fly cutting to blow the molten metal out instantly.
Q: What is “Lightning Cut” vs “Fly Cut”?
A: They are often the same thing, just different brand names. Fly Cut usually refers to cutting contours (circles/shapes) on the fly. Scanning Mode usually refers to cutting a grid of straight lines (chopping the sheet into a grid) by scanning X then Y. Both operate on the same principle of non-stop motion.
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