Laser wood cutting uses high-power lasers to create decorative furnishings. The process requires experience, experimentation, and technical knowledge. Dry, light woods cut more easily than dense, moist woods. Careful control of feed rate and gas used is necessary for quality cuts. Engraving and cutting require different techniques. WYSIWYG software can create artistic renderings in stunning detail. The process can be used on various materials but not vinyl, Lexan, or PVC.
Laser wood cutting is a method of using a high-power laser to vaporize or burn material to create designs for decorative furnishings. Originally an industrial process used on sheet metal and piping, this process has extended to artisans and schools in the creative manipulation of many man-made and natural, hard and soft materials. While the process is guided by automated motions and computer-aided design (CAD) software, skilled laser cutting of wood requires experience and experimentation, familiarity with materials, and technical knowledge.
By subtracting material with focused beams the thickness of a human hair, laser cutting wood relies on the elements of speed and power to vary its cut. By reducing speed and increasing power, an operator can make a cut by extending the contact time of the laser with the wood. The reduction in power and the speed of extension create the shallower incisions used in shading and creating shapes on the surface of the wood. Experimentation and experience allow operators to refine their techniques on various grades and thicknesses of wood. As with other arts, improving technique requires practice and the acquisition of detailed knowledge.
Keep in mind that dry, light woods cut more easily than dense, moist woods. Lasers also vary in power, polarization, mode, and control. Laser cutting of wood requires careful control of feed rate; the type of gas used to clear the laser path will also affect the quality of the cut. Remember that differences between computers and reality result in a variation in laser cut size; the beam cut, or hole width, may turn out slightly larger than drawn, while solids may emerge slightly thinner than expected. Fine lines can disappear in the engraving and thin wood can warp or crack under the heat of the laser.
With most laser engraving machines, the lasers reflect off angled mirrors until they are directed at the surface of the material being cut. Once the angle is established, the laser travels through its focusing lens as a narrow beam for vector cutting of smooth lines or raster engraving gradients and gradations. Engraving allows the operator to focus the laser directly on the surface. The cut, on the other hand, produces a slight angle which becomes more evident depending on the thickness of the wood. Plan and reposition focal points carefully to avoid such pitfalls before they happen.
For more difficult projects, many machines allow operators to use “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) software to create artistic renderings in stunning detail. The software comes in varying degrees of difficulty, from intuitive to the endless learning curve of professional suites. The materials may extend to natural materials, plastics, ceramics, stone, glass, and metals, but not vinyl, Lexan, or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), as they contain chlorine, which can damage the laser mechanism. Laser cutting wood allows for vast design breakthroughs in a material people thought they knew.
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