Laser Cutting: Principles and Characteristics

Understanding Laser Cutting: Principles and Characteristics

Principle: Laser cutting harnesses a focused high-power density laser beam to irradiate the workpiece, prompting rapid material melting, vaporization, ablation, or reaching the ignition point. Simultaneously, a high-speed airflow, coaxial with the beam, blows away the molten material, facilitating precise cutting. Carbon dioxide pulse lasers and fiber laser cutting machines are commonly employed for this purpose, constituting a thermal cutting method.

Features:

Material Thickness: Laser cutting is typically suited for carbon steel plates under 20mm thick and stainless steel plates under 30mm thick.
Deformation: Laser cutting results in minimal deformation, although cutting speed decreases notably with increasing workpiece thickness.
Cutting Precision: Laser cutting yields narrow incisions with parallel and perpendicular slit edges, achieving dimensional accuracy up to ±0.2mm. In comparison to plasma cutting, laser cutting offers greater precision with smaller slits, approximately 0.5mm wide.
Texture Alteration: As a thermal cutting method, laser cutting alters the texture around the cutting area.
Production Efficiency: Laser cutting boasts fast speeds, enabling mass production.

By understanding these principles and characteristics, one can appreciate the precision, efficiency, and versatility of laser cutting in various manufacturing applications.