4 Advice to Choose a Industrial Laser Cutter

This article will discuss the 4 types of laser cutters, how they work, and their applications.

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1. Fiber Lasers

Fiber lasers are used principally for cutting and engraving metallic parts. They offer several advantages over other types of lasers, making them a logical choice in industrial applications.

Fiber lasers get their name from the chemically doped optical fiber used to induce the lasing and deliver the energy to the cutting point. The laser source starts with a primer laser, usually a diode type, which injects a low-power beam into the fiber. This beam is then amplified within the optical fiber, which is doped with rare earth elements such as ytterbium (Yb) or erbium (Er). The doping process induces the fiber to act as a gain medium, amplifying the laser beam by cascading excitations/emissions.

Fiber lasers emit a wavelength in the near-infrared spectrum, around 1.06 μm. This wavelength is thoroughly absorbed by metals, making fiber lasers particularly well suited to cutting and engraving this class of materials, even the &#;problem&#; reflective metals. 

One of the particular advantages of fiber lasers is their exceptional beam quality. This beam quality determines the laser's ability to produce a highly focused application of radiation and therefore a smaller and more precise cut path and higher specific energy (energy per unit area). This also entails lower beam divergence, allowing cuts that open less with increased target thickness.

Fiber lasers are renowned for offering higher cutting speeds and productivity. This also contributes to lower power consumption, compared to other types of lasers. Fiber lasers are generally optimized for cutting metals, including stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, copper, brass, and various alloys. They are not as effective for cutting non-metallic materials like wood, acrylic, or plastics, which are more effectively cut with CO2 lasers. Fiber lasers with higher power levels can also process thicker metals effectively.

Fiber lasers possess an elegant, simple, and robust construction and a near-solid state characteristic. This results in suppressed maintenance requirements, relative to other laser classifications. The absence of mirrors and some of the more delicate focal components minimizes alignment issues, improves beam quality, and elevates life span. Some models are capable of providing tens of thousands of hours of use, before requiring significant maintenance.

Fiber lasers are, in many regards, the optimal choice for metal cutting/ablation and engraving tasks. Pivotal factors cementing their commercial viability include: delivering high throughput, outstanding precision, operational and power efficiency, and low maintenance. Their capabilities render them a preferred tool in diverse industries, including: automotive, aerospace, electronics, and manufacturing, in which precise and efficient metal processing is crucial.

For more information, see our guide on What is a Fiber Laser.

2. CO2 Lasers

Despite being the earliest commercially exploited devices, CO2 lasers remain very widely used in the sector. They benefit from lower CAPEX (though higher OPEX) and a high degree of material versatility/applicability. They&#;re particularly suited to processing non-metallic materials with moderate precision and efficiency. They are also considered viable in many metal-cutting applications. For metal processing, the absorption spectrum is adverse but various, widely used workarounds can facilitate better functionality.

CO2 lasers are gas excitation devices that use a mixture of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2), and helium (He) to produce the laser beam in an energy cascade sequence. The laser source typically consists of a xenon flash tube or similar, which is excited by an electric discharge to initiate the stimulated emission process. This process is characterized by three distinct energy transitions, only the last of which involves a photon emission. N2 molecules are raised to a higher energy state that they then transmit to the CO2 molecules, which emit photons as they lose their excision energy by impacting He atoms.

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This class emits at around 10.6 μm, in the far-infrared spectrum. This wavelength is strongly absorbed by organic materials like wood, plastics, leather, various fabrics, paper, and some non-metallic composites, resulting in highly efficient, clean, and precise cutting.

They have a lower beam quality in comparison to fiber lasers, which means the laser beam is less focused. This is a byproduct of the relative optical complexity of the devices and is also intrinsic to the gas emission system. However, advancements in CO2 laser technology have improved beam quality over the long service lifetime of the technology. The beam typically generates a larger spot size and higher divergence than other systems, which can markedly affect the precision of cuts.

CO2 lasers are widely accepted because of their versatility, relatively low purchase cost, and higher power use per watt of cutting. They can be considerably slower in cutting thick metal materials than fiber lasers. For non-metallic materials, they can offer excellent cutting speed, making them suitable for intricate designs and a wide range of applications. CO2 lasers require more maintenance than fiber lasers, due to the presence of mirrors and other optical components in their design. Additionally, the primary laser source degrades with usage time. They need regular optical-system cleaning and delicate realignment to maintain performance.

For more information, see our guide on CO2 laser cutters.

The two main issues I would focus on when it comes to picking a machine are the size of the bed and the power of the laser.

The machines bed size will determine how big a piece of material you can fit in the machine to cut or engrave. A bigger bed will allow you to cut or engrave larger pieces and even if your doing something small, like laser cut jewelry, a bigger bed will allow to cut out multiple pieces at once rather than one at a time. Also some machines have a fixed bed and some have a bed that can go up and down. A bed that goes up and down allows you to engrave different sized objects. The cutting depth doesn&#;t change but if you want to engrave a logo on a leather shoe rather than on a flat piece of leather, having a bed that you can lower to get the shoe in the machine is important.

The next issue is the power of the laser. The strength of the laser is measured in Watts. The more watts the more powerful the laser is. The laser, I used, started out with a 30 watt laser and was then upgraded to a 50 watt. The strength of the laser is most important for cutting. Remember the thickness of material that a laser can cut is determined by the focal point of the lens and not the power of the laser. So adding a more powerful laser won&#;t allow you to cut thicker material. But it will allow you to cut faster and more reliably. A weaker laser will mean having slow the laser down to be able to make good cut.

I would suggest getting the largest machine you can and starting with a weaker laser. A bigger bed will allow you to work on bigger designs or cut and engrave multiple pieces at once. You can upgrade the laser in it to a more powerful one later.

Hope this information helps out. If you can&#;t afford your own laser I would suggest looking for Maker space where you can use their laser or find a shop that will engrave and cut for you at a good price.

Geordie

For more information, please visit Industrial Laser Cutter.