YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LASER CUTTING

Laser cutting is the process of cutting different types of materials with a laser beam. This can vary from a regular trim of materials to cutting them into complex shapes that more conventional drills can’t do. Apart from cutting, laser cutters can also create complex designs onto these materials by heating up the surface of the material, manipulating the top layer of the material to change the appearance, creating various designs.

How Does Laser Cutting Work?

There are different types of laser cutter machines, but they usually use the same process of using a beam of laser in cutting various materials. Basically, the tool sends out a beam of intense light and reflects it through an array of mirrors to the cutting head. In the cutting head, the laser is focused through a lens and is narrowed down to an extremely concentrated beam, projecting down at the material, which cuts down the material.

Simply put, these laser cutting machines can produce exact and detailed cuts, allowing anyone endless possibilities for material customisation. The difference between the different types of laser cutting machines comes from the type of laser the machine has. This defines the type and thickness of material it can cut through since different laser types have different power ranges.

CO2 Laser Cutting Machine

As its name implies, the laser is generated from electrically stimulated gas mixtures, which is mostly Carbon Dioxide (CO2). In a CO2 laser cutting machine, light is produced when electricity runs through a gas-filled tube with both mirrors at the end. One mirror lets some light come through while the other one is fully reflective. These mirrors are responsible for guiding the laser beam into the material that is to be cut.

CO2 lasers are the most common type of laser cutting machine as they require low power, inexpensive yet efficient, and can be used for a wide range of materials including mild steel, stainless steel. aluminium, as well as cardboard, leather, wood, glass, acrylic, and some other forms of plastic.

Advantages of Laser Cutting

There are several benefits in using a laser cutter.

Below are some of them:

Non-contact process – The beam doesn’t physically touch the material it is working with, which causes only minimal damage to the material.

Safer method – In general, laser cutting is much safer than other forms of cutting since it does not use any blade.

Accuracy – Laser cutters produce highly accurate and precise cuttings providing clean cuts and a smooth finish.