A co2 laser is faster at cutting in a straight line, as well as having a quicker piercing time. This guide to laser cutting was written by alice jacobs who runs flux laser studio in glasgow. A laser cutter is a tool made of an xy plotter with a bed about 12x24 in size. Cut for demonstration purposes, further alignment and distancing are required for faster more accurate cuts. Laser cutting experiments were performed with the developed supersonic nozzle assembly to demonstrate cutting of 50mmthick low carbon steel with 1kw co2 laser. Illustrated guide to co2 laser cutting prime products, inc. Reimagined and redesigned, the new model year 2016 lc90 laser cutting machine sports modern space saving design. Co2 laser cutting explains and describes how engineering materials are cut using a co2 laser. Co2 laser oxygen cutting of mild steel is widely used industrial application. For chinese glass tube lasers, i usually add 20% to the laser power for an equivalent. Laser cutting leads because it is a direct process substitu tion and the laser can usually do the job with greater flexibility, speed and quality than its competitors. Co2 laser beam polarisation requires careful control for successful metal cutting. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over.
Laser cutting experiments were performed with the developed supersonic nozzle assembly to demonstrate cutting of 50mmthick low carbon steel with 1. Co2 laser cutting by john powell 9781852330477 booktopia. Laser cutting thickness guide on laser power, lens and. The machine utilises quality components to allow hassle free engraving and cutting. Since a laser is a light, it will lose power on propagation and reflection, and tends to be more complex when the machine size is larger. You can read this ebook on any device that supports drmfree epub or drmfree pdf format.
Today most fiber laser cutting machines are today, most fiber laser cutting machines are used for thin sheets. John powells book co2 laser cutting has a lot of information on wood and plastic along with a lot of information on everything else you can cut. Information is given on the cutting of metals and non metals on a wide range of levels from practical advice and processing parameters to explanations of the physical and chemical reactions which take. Co2 fiber laser cuts faster g d t lit l ith n2 comparable cut quality of fiber and co 2 laser. Co2 laser cutting explains and describes how engineering materials are cut. Laser cutting is a popular manufacturing process utilized to cut various types of materials economically. Focus invisible co2 laser first with the ruler then fire a dot on a piece of paper and align the red laser dot so it hits the same spot. The new lc90 uses brand new y axis centre transmission system which offers better ray path stability over its predecessor, thus increasing reliability. Oct 21, 2014 raw cutting of cardboard with a 40w co2 laser cnc machine. The gas mixture is generally comprised of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen and. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Laser cutting technology a commercial perspective request pdf. It was invented by kumar patel of bell labs in 1964, and is still one of the most useful. The distribution of energy across the laser beam cross section is called its mode 3 poor mode quality results in poor cutting quality 3 laser mode identification and tuning require training a. Information is given on the cutting of metals and non metals on a wide range of levels from practical advice and processing parameters to explanations of the physical and chemical reactions which take place in the cut zone. It burns and discolors on the edges when laser cut. The laser material processing industry has been growing swiftly as the quality, speed and new. The carbon dioxide laser was the rst highpowered infrared laser developed. Laser expertise has high powered extraction and fume treatment systems which enable us to cut materials which others find difficult. Laser cutting thickness guide on laser power, lens and table size. John powell dr john powell received his phd from imperial college, london university, in 1983.
In this device, electricity is run through a gasfilled tube, producing light. Illustrated guide to co2 laser cutting material type material description notes plastic acrylic light block. Lasers are used in a wide range of applications such as, laser surgery, heat treatment, welding and drilling. Side shooting class 3a red laser pointer always on. The basic mechanism of laser cutting is extremely simple and can be summarised as follows. Fiber lasers can work with thicker materials no problem, but generally a co2 laser will leave a surface finish that is smoother.
Although oxygen was used to cut both mild and stainless steels in the early days of laser cutting powell only high pressure nitrogen is employed to cut stainless steels nowadays. Apr 18, 2017 the guide covers all aspects of co2 and fiber laser cutting, including basic principles, cutting speeds, and cut quality, said dr. Even though laser cutters can only cut out of flat materials they are surprisingly versatile. Proceedings of the 1st pacific international conference on application of lasers and optics 2004 laser cutting. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app.
Buy co2 laser cutting second edition 2 by john powell isbn. In the fore of these new technologies is the process of laser cutting. The general principles of cutting are similar for both types of laser although co 2 lasers dominate the market for reasons, which will be discussed later in the paper. Influence of alloying elements on the laser cutting. Introduction the carbon dioxide laser co2 laser was one of the earliest gas lasers to be developed invented by kumar patel of bell labs in 19641, and is still one of the most useful. So we have compiled this guide for the laser system that we sell, which gives you a good idea of all kinds of materials that a laser can mark. Cutting some thin birch plywood with my 60w co2 laser cutter.
Fiber lasers vs co2 lasers a comparison from spi lasers. Buy a discounted paperback of co2 laser cutting online from australias leading online bookstore. Kaplan2 1 laser expertise ltd, nottingham ng7 2tr, united kingdom. Laser cutter worlds largest selfassembly diy style. The width of laser cut or kerf, quality of the cut edges and the operating cost are affected by laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure, nozzle diameter and focus point position as well as the workpiece material. Nozzle material standoff compare to earlier successful results 3 normally the standoff is 0. The laser material processing industry has been growing swiftly as the quality. It uses highpower 40w co2 laser tube and has the cutting area as big as 60cm40cm. Now that you have a ctr laser machine, you are likely looking to explore the different materials that you can process for cutting and engraving.
Most laser cutting is carried out using co 2 or nd. Our inhouse materials knowledge enables us to identify risk and correctly manage cutting requirements. Cut surface quality is a very important characteristic of laser cutting that ensures an advantage over other contour. Instead of a plotting pen, a laser beam is fired so that any shape can be cut out of a flat piece of plastic, wood, fabric, leather, etc.
Dr john powell technical director is an acknowledged world expert in material processing with lasers. However, to achieve these high speeds with high quality con siderable know how and experience is required. Laser cutting is the process of precisely cutting or engraving a material using focused highpowered laser beam, directed by cnc computer numerically controlled machine from a cad vector file. Co2 2 kwco 2 2 kw 8000 0 12000 14000 mmmin bylaser4000bylaser4400 bylaser5200 q lit co2 4 kw co2 4. A co2 laser power meter probe is very good at measuring actual laser output power. From first principles to the state of the art dr j. Laser power requirement for cutting thicksection steel. We turned it into a smaller version of desktop laser cutter and engraver, as smart laser mini. Illustrated guide to co2 laser cutting material type material description notes plastic laminate sheet ipc410121. Raw cutting of cardboard with a 40w co2 laser cnc machine. Nozzle deflects will only result in a less efficient cutting process and do not pose a safety risk. There is no simple answer on the thickness a laser system can cut. The optional beam combiner provides better performance since it goes through the lens. It all began with developing a highpower 60w large laser cutter and engraver for ourselves a year and a half ago.
Nozzle contamination dirt or spatter on the nozzle may deflect the gas jet to one side. Since then he has been the technical director of laser expertise ltd a laser cutting jobshop based in nottingham, uk whilst also holding the position of visiting professor at lulea university, sweden division of manufacturing engineering. The highpower fibre laser presents a possibility for the application of solidstate lasers in thicksection metal cutting, a field which has been dominated by highpower co 2 lasers. Cut for demonstration purposes, further alignment and distancing are. In fact the intensity is such that it can vaporise most known materials. The much higher reflectivity of co 2 laser from liquid, vapor and plasma of a tin target. I use the laser calculator located on the synrad website. Most operators set it where it does what they want.
The laser has given manufacturing industry a new tool. The carbon dioxide laser co 2 laser was one of the earliest gas lasers to be developed. It was invented by kumar patel of bell labs in 1964, 1 and is still one of the most useful. Laser cutting technology a a commercial perspective. We have developed a cleaning process to remove the burnt crust, or in some cases we cnc mill this.
Information is given on the cutting of metals and non metals on a wide range of levels from practical advice and processing parameters to explanations of the physical and chemical reactions which take place in. In other fields, such as medical surgery, lasers are also used extensively. This paper concerns the flow conditions in the kerf during laser cutting of stainless steel with nitrogen assist gas. This is the worlds largest selfassembly style co2 laser cutter and engraver.
A co2 laser is faster at cutting in a straight line, as well as having a quicker piercing time when the cut is first started. Yet in this book john powell explains in lucid and almost non technical language. Carbon dioxide lasers are the highestpower continuous wave lasers that are currently available. Apr 10, 2014 cutting some thin birch plywood with my 60w co2 laser cutter. I dont know of any formal work on focus position in wood and acrylic. Sheet metal cutting with fiber lasers swissphotonics.
When the laser beam is focused it can generate one of the worlds most intense energy sources, more intense than flames and arcs, though similar to an electron beam. This text explains how engineering materials are cut by a co2 laser. To guarantee the moving accuracy, nsk bearings and guide rails are adopted along with a state of the art nc. Influence of alloying elements on the laser cutting process. The guide covers all aspects of co2 and fiber laser cutting, including basic principles, cutting speeds, and cut quality, said dr. The laser cutting parameters used in this test can be seen in table 2. In an effort to make the book as readable and informative as possible the. The current paper presents the lumpedparameter formulation of the laser power requirement as a function of cutting speed for oxygenassisted laser cutting of mild steel and nitrogen. Buy co2 laser cutting second edition 2 by powell, john isbn. Laser institute of america nitrogen purity related faults common faults dross side burning e. The powell p90 5w cnc precision laser is state of the art water cooled co2 laser machine suitable for cutting and engraving a range of substrates with incredible accuracy and precision.
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