Tube and Pipe Laser Cutting: What Changes?
Tube cutting is not sheet cutting with a different bed. The mechanics and the business case differ.
Tube lasers cut profiles, not flat sheets. A rotating chuck feeds the tube while the cutting head follows the contour.
Machine differences
Tube machines add a chuck system, a support for long sections, and software that unfolds the 3D geometry. Some machines combine flat and tube cutting in one bed.
Where tube cutting pays
Furniture frames, railings, bicycle parts and structural work: shapes that were welded from plate become one continuous tube part with fewer joints.
What to check
Maximum tube diameter and weight, chuck type, tail support, and whether the software handles your CAD formats.
Bystronic and other tube-laser builders publish application guides. For a general explanation of the process, see the the stainless cutting process on the ProLaserCutting blog.