Laser cutting is the procedure that has seen more use over the past few years. With a large number of processes, this type of cutting has comparable advantages and applications. Because one laser machine can play out various cuts, somehow it may be tough to know which one could be suited best for your business.
So, before you buy, let’s have a look on various kinds of cutting procedure with laser and what exactly it is:
What is laser cutting?
The way of cutting a material through a laser beam either by trimming it down or to cut it into different shapes or sizes, is called laser cutting. You can use it for drilling and engraving as well.
The process starts with a focused and precise laser beam going to the material to cut it in accurate shape with smooth finish. A huge range of materials with different thickness sizes can be cut with lasers, making it a helpful and versatile procedure.
Initially the beam makes a hole on the edge of the material then slowly melt it down to give a perfect cut. It can cut from light material like cloth to the toughest metals like diamonds and gemstones. There are two types of beams - pulsed beam and continuous wave beam that you can use for cutting.
Main types of laser cutting:
C02 laser cutting
This laser based cutting is accomplished utilizing a gas laser. The gas being referred to is a carbon dioxide blend which has been electrically animated. C02 cutting is frequently utilized on non-metal materials as they have a frequency of 10.6 micrometers.
Crystal laser cutting
nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) and nd:YVO (neodymium-doped yttrium ortho-vanadate) lasers are two main lasers used in this process. These are crystals which have a place in the strong group of lasers, and have a similar frequency as fiber lasers, around 1.064 micrometers. This implies they are valuable for the two metals and non-metals.
In any case, this sort of laser machine is made up from costly siphon diodes, which can be expensive when they should have been supplanted; commonly, following 8,000 – 15,000 hours of utilization. The precious stone utilized also has a lot shorter help life than that of a fiber laser.
Fiber laser cutting
This kind of cutting is finished using a fiber laser like ‘SPI Lasers’. Fiber lasers have a place with the strong state bunch as well.
A bar is made utilizing a 'seed laser', which is made of glass fibers and pump diodes. They have a frequency of 1.064 micrometers. This implies that the beam for a fiber laser is multiple times stronger than that of a C02 type with regards to power. It also implies that they can work with both metal and non-metal materials.
A fiber laser is the most helpful of the three sorts. They are frequently support free, require a lot less expensive new parts, and have a long serving life of around 25,000 usage hours.
What types of materials can be cut by a laser machine?
- Plastic
- Glass
- Silicon
- Steel
- Wood
- Perforated metal sheet
- Gemstone
- Titanium
- And many different metals
The advantages of cutting by laser:
There are an immense number of advantages of laser from many other types of cutting:
- It's a non-contact process, thus there is no or very less harm caused to the material you are working with and related moving parts.
- It needs low maintenance and inexpensive replacement parts.
- This process diminishes the material wastage at great extent.
- One laser machine can perform various cuts on different materials and is capable of working with different applications.
- It is a lot more secure utilizing than different procedures as the laser beam is encased inside a light box
- You are offered complete control with the laser force, heat and time when undertaking a laser cutting procedure, making this an exceptionally solid procedure.
With all above said benefits, the laser based cutting can be used in multiple industries e.g. automotive, semiconductor, medical, aerospace, electronics etc.
No matter your business is big or short or either you are doing small metal wall art, laser-based cutting is the best. It is a one-type solution for cutting any material or whatever application you work with.
There are also several techniques involved with this process:
- Laser cutting: In this process, a cut is made on material to give a new shape and size.
- Laser engraving: With this process, a layer or material is removed to leave engraved marks over it. Usually bar codes and personalized items are made under this process.
- Laser marking: It is similar to engraving but the difference is that the mark is only on the surface and not in depth.
- Laser drilling: To create dents and thru holes on the surface of material, drilling process is used.
So, if you are clear with the concept of laser cutting and its different usages and techniques, you can purchase a good one for your business
