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Laser cutting uses a focused beam of energy to cut precise patterns in various materials. It is integrated into a CAD/CAM system and allows for small features. Carbon alloy and stainless steel are popular materials due to their inability to absorb heat. Laser cutting machines were first made in 1967 and are designed to ensure human safety.
Laser cutting is a way to cut precise patterns in metal, plastic, wood and virtually every other material man works with. It allows for a level of precision and complexity not possible with conventional machining tools. Laser cutting works by exciting a gaseous medium, commonly carbon dioxide, causing it to amplify the light reflected back and forth multiple times within the laser chamber. Light comes out of an opening and is focused by a lens on a specific point.
A typical process laser has a beam about 1/5 of a millimeter wide, focusing 1000 to 2000 watts of energy. This is enough to melt the most common materials. As lasers become less focused and lose energy as they penetrate through a material, there is a limit of approximately 20mm to depth of cut. Laser cutting machines are integrated into a larger CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design, Computer Aided Manufacturing) system that takes a design file and implements it on a part. These machines represent a stepping stone in the continuing trend away from manual manufacturing, placing human workers in a more removed and creative design role.
Since a laser is made up of photons, parts of its energy can be reflected by materials such as aluminum and copper alloys. These materials are also thermal conductors, meaning they distribute incoming heat more evenly throughout their volume. For this reason, carbon alloy and stainless steel are popular materials for laser cutting. They are unable to absorb heat, so the heat concentrates more easily in the laser path.
Typical laser cutting machines allow for features as small as 1 mm. Specialized lasers often feature even smaller dimensions, allowing for the fabrication of true micromachines. The first laser cutters were made in 1967, as part of a spin off of a laser-focused military research project. As the beams used in cutting are “class 4” lasers, the machines are designed to ensure that human operators are never directly exposed to them. All cutting is done inside the machine.
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