Characteristics of laser cutting

The laser beam is focused into very small light spots, achieving a high power density at the focal point. At this point, the heat input by the beam far exceeds the part reflected, conducted, or diffused by the material, and the material quickly heats up to the point of vaporization, forming pores through evaporation. As the beam moves linearly relative to the material, the hole continuously forms a narrow slit. The cutting edge is minimally affected by heat, and there is basically no deformation of the workpiece.

During the cutting process, auxiliary vapor suitable for the material being cut is also added. During steel cutting, oxygen is used as an auxiliary vapor to generate exothermic chemical reactions with molten metal, oxidizing the material and helping to blow away the slag inside the cutting seam. Cutting polypropylene and other plastics uses compressed air, while cutting flammable materials such as cotton and paper uses inert gases. The auxiliary vapor entering the nozzle can also cool the focusing lens, preventing smoke and dust from entering the lens holder and contaminating the lens, leading to overheating of the lens.

Most organic and inorganic materials can be cut by laser. In the metal processing industry, which plays a significant role in industrial manufacturing systems, many metal materials, regardless of their hardness, can be cut without deformation. Of course, for high reflectivity materials such as gold, silver, copper, and aluminum alloys, they are also good heat transfer conductors, so laser cutting is difficult or even impossible to cut. Laser cutting has no burrs, wrinkles, and high precision, which is superior to plasma cutting. For many electromechanical manufacturing industries, modern laser cutting systems controlled by microcomputer programs can easily cut workpieces of different shapes and sizes, and are often preferred over punching and molding processes; Although its processing speed is still slower than die stamping, it does not consume molds, does not require mold repair, and saves time on mold replacement, thereby saving processing costs and reducing production costs. Therefore, overall, it is more cost-effective.