subject: Ten Things You Can Do With Your Laser [print this page] Ten Things You Can Do With Your Laser Ten Things You Can Do With Your Laser
Manufacturers are using laser cutting technologies more than ever. This is because laser cutting machines are very accurate, allowing craftsmen to cut materials quickly and with a precision that would have been impossible until recently. Typically used for industrial manufacturing, laser cutting works by using a powerful laser to cut materials. Depending on the material being cut, and the type of laser equipment, the material is either blown away by gas jets, vaporized or burned, leaving behind a high precision cut, etching, edge, or boring. Lasers will not only improve the speed of the cutting process but also provide highly consistent results, because a laser doesn't need to be replaced like the blades on other cutting machines. But that's not all. Here are ten more benefits to using a laser cutting machine:
- Laser cutting technology can be used to cut flat sheet material. Whether the material is metal, wood, ceramic, plastic, wax, or something entirely different, laser cutting allows you a level of precision that no other cutting tool can match.
- Laser cutting machines have no blades and so won't wear out with time. Because of this you can use the laser as often as you want with little maintenance and no reduction in quality.
- Laser cutting, because of its accuracy and minimal impact on the material surrounding the cutting area, can achieve good cutting results even with materials that would be difficult or even impossible to cut by other means.
- Laser cutting allows you to make cuts, etchings, and perforations in material without bending or damaging the material itself. This is because a fine pointed laser's area of effect is very small. In contrast with some other heat-cutting techniques, a laser's heat is extremely concentrated, preventing it from damaging the area close to the cut.
- Substances that don't melt, including certain there most plastics, carbon and wood, can be cut with a vaporization process. This means that the waste material is vaporized, effectively eliminating it.
- With laser cutting, you can produce cuts, borings, and etchings to remarkably precise tolerances. Modern laser cutting machines can be positioned accurately to tolerances between 5 and 10 micrometers. (.000005m-.00001m) A micrometer is less than the width of a strand of human hair.
- Laser cutting machines are usually quite easy to operate, in and of themselves, and do not demand a a lot of training or skill to master. Most laser cutting tool suppliers provide any necessary training.
- Laser cutting machines produce very little waste, so you don't need to spend much time cleaning up after the job. Wood is cut without sawdust, metal is cut without leaving shavings. Generally, the small amounts of waste material left behind can be picked up with a ordinary shop vac.
- Laser cutting machines can be modified to create similar effects to those of oxygen torch cutting but with greater consistency and precision. This is known as 'reactive cutting' and is generally used to cut steel which is more than 1mm thick.
- Laser cutting are sometimes used to crack heat sensitive materials in a controlled way. Sometimes used when working with glass, the process allows the user to manipulate and move the crack to suit production needs.
