All you need to know about laser cutting

When cutting metal, wood, glass and other hard surfaces, it is hard to imagine a beam of light that can keep up with the rotating blade. The traditional beam is really tough. That is to say, the concentrated laser beam cuts the breeze.

What is laser cutting?

Laser cutting is the process of heating a workpiece to a precisely cut part using a laser beam. According to Answers.com, the laser machine includes a high power laser and a computer for directing the laser beam onto the material to be cut. From there, the laser beam melts along a predetermined cutting line, evaporating or burning the material, resulting in a precise, neat cutting edge.

According to Coherent, the company produces laser cutting machines that laser cut:

"...concentrate a large amount of energy at a small, well-defined point. The heat generated by the laser can evaporate the material in this small area, gas or gas mixture such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and/or helium. The vaporized material is blown out of the slit [the width of the groove formed by the laser beam]. The energy of the beam is directly applied where it is needed, thereby minimizing the surrounding heat affected zone [HAZ]. The area being cut."

Laser cutting application

Manufacturers, small businesses, schools and amateurs all use laser cutting. According to Coherent, common items for laser machines include:

. from

Thin non-metallic material from

 - Paper, most plastics, fabrics, polyester film, polycarbonate, up to .4 inches of wood, thin acrylic resin can be laser cut with 150 watts average power [450 watts peak power].

. from

Thicker non-metallic materials from

 - You need a laser with an average power of 250 to 500 watts [peak power up to 1500 watts] to cut thicker non-metallic materials, such as thicker plastics and 1 inch thick wood. In general, lower power lasers must work harder to perform the same cut. This will reduce the cutting speed and may result in overheating, chemical changes or damage to heat affected areas.

. from

metallic material from

 - Metallic materials typically require higher power lasers [150 to 1,000 watts [peak power up to 2500 watts]]. When using oxygen assisted gases, some thin metals [such as stainless steel or cold rolled steel] can be cut with a 150 watt laser.

Laser cutting is used to cut any number of items from a variety of materials, such as: puzzles, clock faces, metal labels, mechanical parts and components, packaging, logos, patterns, leather trims, and more.

Advantages of laser cutting

Lasers have many advantages over other types of cutting. Not only can you cut a variety of materials such as paper, plastic, cardboard, leather and metal, the laser is very precise. Once the pattern is programmed into the laser cutter, it can continuously cut an exact copy of the pattern on the workpiece after the workpiece. The laser cutting edge is clean. In addition to cutting items, the laser can also cut small, highly detailed holes with good edge quality.

Finally, the laser beam is not worn by the cut, reducing the strain on the cutting equipment. Lasers have matured and have proven to be a reliable and advantageous alternative to other cutting methods.

references:

1. The answer, "laser cutting", - http://www.answers.com/topic/laser-cutting

---

Orignal From: All you need to know about laser cutting