Laser Cutting Fundamentals
Written by Marc Anderes on March 13, 2010 – 12:26 pm -A laser cutter uses a beam from a laser to slice through a material with the assistance of a computer system to give the laser cutter instructions. The laser approaches the material being cut from the side. If there isn’t an edge of an object to approach, then a puncture can be produced. The laser beam is pulsed and concentrated onto the material to be sliced so that a hole is formed and cutting can be continued. Oftentimes, a spray of air, oil or water onto the material happens subsequent to the cutting to wash away left-behind steel. It can also prevent “splash back” of material onto the cutting lens. Laser beams are concentrated by means of lenses. A laser beam can be concentrated enough to be 0.004 inch. Lasers require a vast amount of energy to function. This may be the sole disadvantage that they hold in the manufacturing environment. Lasers can cut a wide range of materials including steel, wood, aluminum plastic, foam, fabric, leather, vinyl, paper, rubber, film, acrylic, glass and ceramics.
Laser Categories
One type of laser is a CO2 laser. In this type of laser, a gas mixture is brought to an energized state in order for the laser to perform. The mixture contains the elements helium, nitrogen and carbon. Another type of laser used in laser cutting is a neodymium (Nd) laser. This laser has the same employability as the CO2 laser, but employs a crystal with diminutive amounts of neodymium in it rather than a mixture of gas for the medium. A third type of laser is the neodymium yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd-YAG) laser. The difference between the two types of lasers is just in functionality. The neodymium laser has a sluggish repetition speed and can be employed in high energy uses and for boring. Nd-YAG is used for engraving and boring yet is very high energy.
Methods of Cutting
There are many methods that a laser slices a material. In vaporization, which is for materials like non-ferrous metals, the object is heated quicker than it can dissipate the heat and vaporization occurs. The object reaches a very high temperature, 50,000 degrees, the cut or kerf becomes longer, and vaporization continues. In the cutting procedure referred to as melt and blow, a gas under high pressure blows the molten material away from the cutting zone. The cutting material is most often a metal. In thermal stress cracking, a brittle material meets with the heat from the laser and a stress crack is made. The crack is followed through with the laser beam to complete the cut. This process is usually used during glass cutting. There are many other procedures of laser cutting also.
Advantages of Using a Laser Cutter
By using a laser beam to slice, the object is not contaminated during the cutting process since the material being cut does not meet with a cutting tool. The employment of the laser cutter also speeds up the line of production processes. The light beam is also very accurate, offering an extremely precise cut. There is less erosion on the machinery used because there is no laser wear. This also saves money since there is less restoration involved in the machinery. From cutting to engraving, laser cutters have several applications and there are several benefits to using a laser in the process of cutting in a manufacturing setting.
Marc Anderes is the Vice President of Operations of Maloya Laser which specializes in Laser Cutting and Metal Manufacturing with advanced laser technologies, for aerospace, scientific, transportation, medical and machinery requirements.
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