Laser Cutting Fundamentals

When we imagine lasers, we may conjure up something in science fiction

. Lasers, however, can be found in real-world industry, making cutting and processing objects much easier in industry. In laser material processing, a laser will make contact with an object and changes to that object will occur, such as through the soaking up of photons, which are particles of light emitted from the laser. These particles will be changed into heat energy.

How Lasers Actually Work

Lasers are the devices that manipulate how highly stimulated atoms release photons to create a stream of light. There are only three things that can happen when a laser makes contact with an object. The laser light stream will either be reflected, transmitted, or it will be absorbed into the object. Sometimes two or three of these events, such as transmission and absorption, may happen at the same time. The beam will be one wavelength and one color as well as tight and concentrated, not like beams of light encountered in everyday life. If most of the beam is soaked up into an object, which is most often the case in laser material processing, the main characteristics that have to be taken into consideration are the average power the laser light has, its intensity on the object it hits, and its wavelength. Intensity on a basic level is the brightness of the laser beam. The wavelength is the sequence of waves the photons create. Think of a moving water wave, the particles of light are fluctuating in the same kind of wave. The average strength of a laser beam is measured in watts (W). Lasers all have an active medium that absorbs energy. The medium can be made of either a solid crystal-like material, liquid, gas (such as in a CO2 laser), or a diode, and holds the atoms absorbing the energy. A laser additionally has to have a method to make the atoms become energized. This could be a light source, for example.

The optical resonator is a pair of mirrors in the laser system. One of the abilities of a laser is to energize the atoms to get them in an excited state. This is accomplished by pumping up what is referred to as a lasing medium inside the laser. At each end of the lasing medium is a mirror. light particles reflect off of both of them and energize other electrons to emit even more photons. The mirror at one end lets some light escape, which is the laser beam. Getting the atoms excited involves getting their matching electrons at a advanced level of energy. The excited electrons that first absorbed energy to get excited can now give off energy as light energy, or a stream of photons.

Lasers and Different Classifications

Lasers are classified according to the characteristics of average power, wavelength, and intensity. This implies they are either solid-state, liquid, gas, or semi conductor lasers. Solid-state are lasers with material that is optically see-through and the active medium is solid. Liquid, or dye lasers have a environment that is fluid and they can work with pulsing or constant wavelengths. Gas lasers have an environment of gas. Examples of gas lasers are carbon dioxide lasers and neon signs seen in shop displays. And the fourth category is semi conductor or diode lasers that are the most common type of laser.

Laser Cutting

Using CO2 lasers as an illustration, carbon dioxide gas atoms become energized at a low pressure between two mirrors. One of the two reflective mirrors lets some of the light stream leak through. They make a huge amount of heat. The light output is at the end of the infrared spectrum. Having a high beam quality is important, especially in cutting. Lasers cut by using the light beam the laser makes. The beam starts by melting what is in front of it or sometimes vaporizing the material. Slicing happens when the beam has gone completely through the object. There are different types of lasers designed to slice various types of materials. CO2 lasers have high capacities for absorption, and are commonly used in the cutting of a plethora of materials such as metals, plastics, and wood. CO2 lasers have other materials in them besides carbon dioxide; they have a mixture of gaseous elements such as helium (He) and nitrogen (N2). Nitrogen will slice up to inch thick stainless steel as well as aluminum. Oxygen is able to slice carbon steel. Laser cutting pros include no ill effects on machines, are faster than using other options for cutting, and can cut through thicker materials.

Lasers have uses ranging from communications to uses in the field of medicine. They have revolutionized methods of conducting surgery as well as methods in industry. It is interesting to see what will happen in the future with laser cutting abilities.

by: Marc Anderes...

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