Industrial laser cutting systems use different types of lasers for various materials. CO2 lasers are most commonly used for cutting dense materials, while Nd lasers are used for drilling, engraving, and welding. There are three basic machine configurations: moving material, flying optics, and hybrid systems.
In industrial laser processing there are many different types of laser cutting systems for different types of materials. Laser cutting is preferred over mechanical cutting for thick flat sheet material or when precision machined parts are required. While lasers used in welding such as neodymium (Nd) lasers can be used in laser cutting, the most common type of laser is the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser. Most industrial laser cutting machines have a material table and a laser head, and these parts are assembled into three basic machine configurations: moving material, flying optics, and hybrid systems.
There are several types of lasers typically used in industrial cutting systems: CO2 or Nd lasers are the most common. Generally, Nd lasers are used for applications such as hole drilling or metal engraving, as well as for welding. CO2 lasers are generally used for laser cutting because the laser is more powerful and capable of cutting through dense materials.
The carbon dioxide laser used in laser cutting systems is so named because the amplifying chamber in which the laser is produced is filled with carbon dioxide gas. Industrial CO2 laser cutting machines typically produce a laser that is a fraction of a millimeter thick and can cut different thicknesses of material depending on the configuration of the machine. Among industrial CO2 laser cutting machines, there are three configurations.
The first machine configuration used in laser cutting systems is called moving material. This configuration has a material table that moves while the laser head is held at a fixed point. Moving material laser cutting machines are most commonly used for precision cutting of thick flat material. These types of laser cutting systems also come with special accessories that remove the molten material.
Flying optics laser systems are configured in the opposite way to moving material systems in that the material is stationary while the laser or lasers move across it in two axes. These types of laser cutting machines are often more expensive because they can have more than one laser head, which requires more electricity. Often, flying optical systems require careful calibration and a trained professional to operate.
The third most common setup in laser cutting systems is known as a hybrid setup, which combines the previous two. Generally, both the laser beam and the material can move. Hybrid cutting systems are a popular technology in the laser cutting industry because they can be more efficient in energy use and cutting.
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