A laser cutter uses a beam from a laser to slice through an object with the aid of a computer system to give the laser cutter instructions. The laser nears the object being cut from the side. If there isn’t an edge of a material to approach, then a puncture can be made. The laser beam is pulsed and concentrated onto the material to be cut so that a hole is pro ducted and cutting can be continued. Oftentimes, a spray of air, oil or water onto the material happens after the cutting to clean away left-behind steel. It can additionally stop “splash back” of debris onto the cutting lens. Laser beams are concentrated by the use of lenses. A laser beam can be focused enough to be 0.004 inch. Lasers take a large amount of energy to perform. This may be the sole disadvantage that they hold in the manufacturing environment. Lasers can sever a large amount of materials such as wood, steel, aluminum, foam, fabric, plastic, leather, vinyl, paper, film, rubber, acrylic, glass and ceramics.
Laser Categories
One category of laser is a CO2 laser. In this type of laser, a mixture of gas is brought to an energized state in order for the laser to function. The mixture contains the elements nitrogen, helium and carbon. Another type of laser used in laser cutting is a neodymium (Nd) laser. This laser has the same functionality as the CO2 laser, but uses a crystal with diminutive amounts of neodymium in it rather than a gas mixture for the medium. A third type of laser is the neodymium yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd-YAG) laser. The distinction between this laser and the neodymium laser is only in functionality. The neodymium laser has a slow speed of repetition and can be employed in high energy applications and for boring. Nd-YAG is used for boring and engraving but is extremely high energy.
Cutting Methods
There are many methods that a laser cuts a material. In vaporization, which is for objects like non-ferrous metals, the material is heated quicker than it can dissipate the heat and vaporization occurs. The material reaches a very high temperature, 50,000 degrees, the cut or kerf elongates, and vaporization continues. In the cutting process known as melt and blow, a high pressure gas blows the molten material away from the cutting region. The material that is cut is most often a metal. In thermal stress cracking, a delicate material comes into contact with the laser’s heat and a stress crack is produced. The crack is followed through with the laser beam to complete the cut. This process is mainly used during glass cutting. There are several other methods of laser cutting as well.
Advantages of Using a Laser Cutter
By employing a laser beam to slice, the material is not contaminated during the cutting action since the object being cut does not meet with a cutting tool. The use of the laser cutter also hurries up the production line processes. The light beam is also extremely accurate, offering an extremely decisive cut. There is reduced erosion on the machinery used because there is no laser wear. This also saves money since there is less repair involved in the machinery. From cutting to engraving, laser cutters have several uses and there are several benefits to employing a laser in the process of cutting in a manufacturing environment.
Marc Anderes is a co-founder of Maloya Laser which specializes in Metal Manufacturing and <A href=”http://www.MaloyaLaser.com”>Laser Cutting</a> with advanced <A href=”http://www.maloyalaser.com/capabilities_equipment.php”>laser technologies</a>, for machinery, aerospace, medical, scientific and transportation requirements.
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