What is Laser Cutting?
Laser cutting is a technology that uses a powerful laser to cut or engrave flat sheet materials such as fabric, paper, plastic, wood, etc.
Having the ability to meet the demands of a client can be quite important for the success of your company. With new and improved laser cutting technology, fabricators are able to keep up with the demand while continuing to produce high-quality products. Using the latest generation of laser cutting equipment is important if you want to stay ahead of the competition and have the capability to handle an ever-widening range of projects.
What Is Laser Cutting Technology?
Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to cut materials, and is typically used for industrial manufacturing applications, but is also starting to be used by schools, small businesses, and hobbyists. Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high-power laser most commonly through optics.
Laser cutting is a precise method of cutting a design from a given material using a CAD file to guide it. There are three main types of lasers used in the industry: CO2 lasers Nd and Nd-YAG. We use CO2 machines. This involves firing a laser which cuts by melting, burning or vaporizing your material. You can achieve a really fine level of cutting detail on with a wide variety of materials.
Basic Mechanics of Laser Cutting Technology
The laser machine uses stimulation and amplification techniques to convert electrical energy into a high-density beam of light. Stimulation occurs as the electrons are excited by an external source, usually a flash lamp or electrical arc. The amplification occurs within the optical resonator in a cavity that is set between two mirrors. One mirror is reflective while the other mirror is partially transmissive, allowing the beam’s energy to return back into the lasing medium where it stimulates more emissions. If a photon is not aligned with the resonator, the mirrors do not redirect it. This ensures that only the properly oriented photons are amplified, thus creating a coherent beam.
Properties of Laser Light
Laser light technology has a number of unique and quantified properties. Its optical properties include coherence, monochromaticity, diffraction and radiance. Coherence refers to the relationship between magnetic and electronic components of the electromagnetic wave. The laser is considered “coherent” when the magnetic and electronic components are aligned. Monochromaticity is determined by measuring the width of the spectral line. The higher the level of monochromaticity, the lower the range of frequencies the laser can emit. Diffraction is the process by which the light bends around sharp-edged surfaces. Laser beams are minimally diffracted, meaning they lose very little of their intensity over a distance. Laser beam radiance is the amount of power per unit area emitted at a given solid angle. Radiance cannot be increased by optical manipulation because it is influenced by the design of the laser cavity.
Is Special Training Needed for Laser Cutting Technology?
One of the benefits of laser cutting technology is the auspicious learning curve for working the equipment. A computerized touch screen interface manages most of the process, which reduces some of the operators’ work.
What is Involved in the Laser Cutting Setup?
The setup process is relatively simple and efficient. Newer high-end equipment is able to automatically correct any imported drawing exchange format (DXF) or .dwg (“drawing”) files to achieve desired results. Newer laser cutting systems can even simulate a job, giving operators an idea of how long the process will take while storing configurations, which can be recalled at a later time for even quicker changeover times.
