Laser cutting is a method of accurately cutting or engraving different types of materials such as acrylic, stainless steel, wood and aluminium using an extremely high-powered and concentrated laser beam. This laser beam is controlled by a CNC, which is a Computer Numerically Controlled machine. Laser cutting provides much more accurate and faster results than other traditional heat cutting methods.
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The two primary types of lasers that are used in laser cutting are CO2 lasers and neodymium (Nd) and Neodymium yttrium-aluminium-garet (nd-YAG). CO2 lasers however, are the most widely and commonly used. CO2 lasers are lasers that function on a mixture of carbon dioxide gas that is then powered electrically and have an extremely high efficiency and feature an excellent quality of laser beam.
How do CO2 lasers work?
CO2 lasers work by emitting a laser beam from the specially designed laser tube. When a laser current is passed through this laser tube, the beam is reflected off mirrors that position the beam through a focal lesne that is located in the head of the machine. The laser cutting machine then focuses the beam onto a specific point on the surface of the material that has been programmed through the CNC. The laser then melts, vaporizes and burns the material and moves along a cutting line that the machine is provided with by the CNC. When this occurs, the laser leaves the material with a completely crisp and polished edge that requires no finishing.
Through the use of a focused cutting beam such as the CO2 laser, the amount of kerf, or the amount of material that was removed by the laser, is extremely minimal, especially when compared to an edge that has been created by traditional cutting tools such as blades. This also means that the amount of off-cuts and waste is dramatically reduced.
Why CO2 laser cutting?
One of the major advantages of CO2 laser cutting is that there are various techniques that can be used to achieve different results. There are three main methods that CO2 lasers can produce.
Vector cutting
Vector cutting is the method of laser cutting that is most commonly used. This application technique can cut a full incision through a material. This type of cut is programmed into a CNC which electronically produces a cutting line that the machine follows.
Vector Engraving
Vector engraving is a cut that is made to the surface level of the material that creates an outline. The Vector engraving method can create a design on the material and adds detail to patterns.
Engraving a design on a hard surface, especially to make a print.
Raster Engraving
Raster engraving, simply put is an infill engrave that produces a sealed vector shape. In this method, the laser works similar to that of an inkjet printer. The laser moves from end to end and the laser turns off and on again quickly and gradually moves the line up.
The functions and uses for CO2 laser cutting and engraving are unlimited. One of the best advantages of laser cutting is that there are an endless amount of opportunities to completely customise the patterns of designs. No matter how big, small or intricate the shapes or holes may be, the laser cutter can accurately cut most materials, with the least amount of excess possible.
Laser cutting gives you the freedom to change elements of your design easily and without any fuss. Changes that are needed can simply be made through directly changing the programming without the need to change any tools.
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Laser cutting technology has been around since the 60&#;s but now it&#;s as relevant as it has ever been due to its growing usage within industrial processes.
Laser cutting is a non-contact machining process that uses a constant beam of light to create heat and pressure which then reshapes/distorts various materials with precision as the cutting head moves over the material surface. The laser technology serves a plethora of functions including cutting, drilling and engraving depending on the strength of the laser, the main component material it uses to produce the laser beam and the material it is acting upon. Laser cutting is one of the most main process to make sheet metal parts.
Each laser offers a continuous wavelength and can serve a range of purposes. There are 3 types of lasers: CO2 (gas lasers), Fiber lasers and Nd:YAG or Nd:YVO (vanadate crystal lasers). Each use a different base material to stimulate the laser either electrically with a gas mixture or passed through physical diodes.
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Types of Lasers for Cutting
CO2 Lasers
A CO2 laser runs electricity through a gas mixture-filled tube, producing light beams. The tubes contain mirrors on each end. One of the mirrors is fully reflective and the other is partial, letting some of the light through. The gas mixture is usually carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen and helium. CO2 lasers produce invisible light, in the far infrared range of the light spectrum.
The highest power CO2 lasers range up to multiple Kilowatts for industrial machines, but these are by far the exception. Typical machining CO2 lasers are 25 to 100 Watts in power with a wavelength of 10.6 micrometers.
This type of laser is most common for working with wood or paper (and their derivatives), Polymethylmethacrylate and other acrylic plastics. It is also useful for working with leather, fabric, wallpaper and similar products. It has also been applied to the processing of food such as cheese, chestnuts and various plants.
CO2 lasers are generally best for non-metallic materials, although there are certain metals that they can process. It can generally cut thin sheets aluminum and other non-ferrous metals. One can enhance the power of the CO2 beam by boosting the oxygen content, however this can be risky in inexperienced hands or with a machine unsuitable for such enhancements.
Fiber Lasers
This class of machines is part of the solid-state laser group and uses the seed laser. They amplify the beam using specially designed glass fibers that derive energy from pump diodes. Their general wavelength is 1.064 micrometers, producing an extremely small focal diameter. They are also typically the most expensive of the various laser-cutting devices.
Fiber lasers are generally maintenance-free and feature a long service life of at least 25,000 laser hours. Thus, fiber lasers have a far longer lifecycle than the other two types and they can produce strong and stable beams. They can manage intensities 100 times higher than that of CO2 lasers with the same amount of average power. Fiber lasers can be in continuous beam, quasi- or offer pulsed settings giving them different functionalities. One sub-type of fiber laser system is the MOPA, where pulse durations are adjustable. This makes the MOPA laser one of the most flexible lasers, which can be used for multiple applications.
Fiber lasers are optimally suited for metal marking by way of annealing, metal engraving and marking thermoplastics. It works with metals, alloys and non-metals alike, even including glass, wood and plastic. Fiber laser cutting machines, depending on the power, can be quite versatile and deal with a ton of different materials. While working with thin materials, fiber lasers are the ideal solution. However, this is less so the case for materials over 20 mm although, a more expensive fiber laser machine that can work with over 6 kW could do the trick.
Nd:YAG/Nd:YVO Lasers
Crystal laser cutting processes can be in nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet), but more commonly they tend to use nd:YVO (neodymium-doped yttrium ortho-vanadate, YVO4) crystals. These devices allow an extremely high cutting power. The drawback of these machines is that they can be expensive, not just because of their initial price but also because they have a life expectancy 8,000 to 15,000 hours (with Nd:YVO4 being having a typically lower one) and the pump diodes can net a very hefty price.
These lasers offer a wavelength of 1.064 micrometres and are useful for a huge range of applications, from medical and dentistry to military and manufacturing. When comparing the two Nd:YVO exhibits higher pump absorption and gain, a broader bandwidth, broader wavelength range for pumping, a shorter upper&#;state lifetime, a higher refractive index and lower thermal conductivity. When it comes to continuous operation, Nd:YVO has an overall similar performance level to Nd:YAG in cases with medium or high power. However, Nd:YVO does not allow for pulse energies as high as Nd:YAG and the laser life lasts for shorter periods.
These can be used with both metals (coated and non-coated) and non-metals, including plastics. Under certain circumstances, it can even process a few ceramics. The Nd:YVO4 crystal has been incorporated with high NLO coefficient crystals (LBO, BBO, or KTP) to frequency-shift the output from the near infrared to green, blue, or even UV which gives it a ton of varying functions.
Due to the similar sizes, yttrium, gadolinium or lutetium ions can be replaced with laser-active rare earth ions without strongly affecting the lattice structure needed to produce the beam. This preserves the high thermal conductivity of the doped materials.
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