Co2 laser cutting by john powell 9781852330477 booktopia. Cutting some thin birch plywood with my 60w co2 laser cutter. A co2 laser is faster at cutting in a straight line, as well as having a quicker piercing time when the cut is first started. However, to achieve these high speeds with high quality con siderable know how and experience is required. Instead of a plotting pen, a laser beam is fired so that any shape can be cut out of a flat piece of plastic, wood, fabric, leather, etc. To guarantee the moving accuracy, nsk bearings and guide rails are adopted along with a state of the art nc.
John powells book co2 laser cutting has a lot of information on wood and plastic along with a lot of information on everything else you can cut. Reimagined and redesigned, the new model year 2016 lc90 laser cutting machine sports modern space saving design. Illustrated guide to co2 laser cutting prime products, inc. Co2 2 kwco 2 2 kw 8000 0 12000 14000 mmmin bylaser4000bylaser4400 bylaser5200 q lit co2 4 kw co2 4. John powell dr john powell received his phd from imperial college, london university, in 1983. It all began with developing a highpower 60w large laser cutter and engraver for ourselves a year and a half ago. Laser institute of america nitrogen purity related faults common faults dross side burning e. Nozzle material standoff compare to earlier successful results 3 normally the standoff is 0.
Co2 fiber laser cuts faster g d t lit l ith n2 comparable cut quality of fiber and co 2 laser. Focus invisible co2 laser first with the ruler then fire a dot on a piece of paper and align the red laser dot so it hits the same spot. You can read this ebook on any device that supports drmfree epub or drmfree pdf format. Since then he has been the technical director of laser expertise ltd a laser cutting jobshop based in nottingham, uk whilst also holding the position of visiting professor at lulea university, sweden division of manufacturing engineering. The gas mixture is generally comprised of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen and. As with the other acrylic parts in the table, clear acrylic is very compatible with laser cutting. Information is given on the cutting of metals and non metals on a wide range of levels from practical advice and processing parameters to explanations of the physical and chemical reactions which take place in.
Information is given on the cutting of metals and non metals on a wide range of levels from practical advice and processing parameters to explanations of the physical and chemical reactions which take place in the cut zone. The carbon dioxide laser was the rst highpowered infrared laser developed. Fiber lasers can work with thicker materials no problem, but generally a co2 laser will leave a surface finish that is smoother. Laser cutting technology a a commercial perspective. Our inhouse materials knowledge enables us to identify risk and correctly manage cutting requirements. Sheet metal cutting with fiber lasers swissphotonics. It was invented by kumar patel of bell labs in 1964, 1 and is still one of the most useful. From first principles to the state of the art dr j.
This guide to laser cutting was written by alice jacobs who runs flux laser studio in glasgow. The laser material processing industry has been growing swiftly as the quality. This paper concerns the flow conditions in the kerf during laser cutting of stainless steel with nitrogen assist gas. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Laser cutting leads because it is a direct process substitu tion and the laser can usually do the job with greater flexibility, speed and quality than its competitors. Most operators set it where it does what they want. The highpower fibre laser presents a possibility for the application of solidstate lasers in thicksection metal cutting, a field which has been dominated by highpower co 2 lasers. Buy co2 laser cutting by john powell from waterstones today.
It was invented by kumar patel of bell labs in 1964, and is still one of the most useful. Laser power requirement for cutting thicksection steel. Laser cutting is a popular manufacturing process utilized to cut various types of materials economically. In other fields, such as medical surgery, lasers are also used extensively. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Side shooting class 3a red laser pointer always on. I use the laser calculator located on the synrad website. The laser material processing industry has been growing swiftly as the quality, speed and new. This is the worlds largest selfassembly style co2 laser cutter and engraver. The carbon dioxide laser co 2 laser was one of the earliest gas lasers to be developed. Since a laser is a light, it will lose power on propagation and reflection, and tends to be more complex when the machine size is larger. Influence of alloying elements on the laser cutting process.
Cut for demonstration purposes, further alignment and distancing are required for faster more accurate cuts. In an effort to make the book as readable and informative as possible the. When the laser beam is focused it can generate one of the worlds most intense energy sources, more intense than flames and arcs, though similar to an electron beam. Yet in this book john powell explains in lucid and almost non technical language. Raw cutting of cardboard with a 40w co2 laser cnc machine. Laser cutting experiments were performed with the developed supersonic nozzle assembly to demonstrate cutting of 50mmthick low carbon steel with 1kw co2 laser. Nozzle contamination dirt or spatter on the nozzle may deflect the gas jet to one side. In fact the intensity is such that it can vaporise most known materials. Oct 21, 2014 raw cutting of cardboard with a 40w co2 laser cnc machine.
Illustrated guide to co2 laser cutting material type material description notes plastic acrylic light block. Co2 laser oxygen cutting of mild steel is widely used industrial application. Carbon dioxide lasers are the highestpower continuous wave lasers that are currently available. Laser cutting experiments were performed with the developed supersonic nozzle assembly to demonstrate cutting of 50mmthick low carbon steel with 1. A co2 laser is faster at cutting in a straight line, as well as having a quicker piercing time. Co2 laser cutting explains and describes how engineering materials are cut. Laser cutting is the process of precisely cutting or engraving a material using focused highpowered laser beam, directed by cnc computer numerically controlled machine from a cad vector file. The basic mechanism of laser cutting is extremely simple and can be summarised as follows. Laser cutting thickness guide on laser power, lens and table size. Although oxygen was used to cut both mild and stainless steels in the early days of laser cutting powell only high pressure nitrogen is employed to cut stainless steels nowadays. So we have compiled this guide for the laser system that we sell, which gives you a good idea of all kinds of materials that a laser can mark. For chinese glass tube lasers, i usually add 20% to the laser power for an equivalent. We have developed a cleaning process to remove the burnt crust, or in some cases we cnc mill this.
The machine utilises quality components to allow hassle free engraving and cutting. Now that you have a ctr laser machine, you are likely looking to explore the different materials that you can process for cutting and engraving. The optional beam combiner provides better performance since it goes through the lens. Nozzle deflects will only result in a less efficient cutting process and do not pose a safety risk. A laser cutter is a tool made of an xy plotter with a bed about 12x24 in size. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. The laser has given manufacturing industry a new tool. It burns and discolors on the edges when laser cut.
Apr 18, 2017 the guide covers all aspects of co2 and fiber laser cutting, including basic principles, cutting speeds, and cut quality, said dr. Buy co2 laser cutting second edition 2 by powell, john isbn. Cut surface quality is a very important characteristic of laser cutting that ensures an advantage over other contour. Apr 10, 2014 cutting some thin birch plywood with my 60w co2 laser cutter. Buy a discounted paperback of co2 laser cutting online from australias leading online bookstore. Laser expertise has high powered extraction and fume treatment systems which enable us to cut materials which others find difficult.
Influence of alloying elements on the laser cutting. Illustrated guide to co2 laser cutting material type material description notes plastic laminate sheet ipc410121. The powell p90 5w cnc precision laser is state of the art water cooled co2 laser machine suitable for cutting and engraving a range of substrates with incredible accuracy and precision. Laser cutting technology a commercial perspective request pdf. Laser cutting thickness guide on laser power, lens and. The new lc90 uses brand new y axis centre transmission system which offers better ray path stability over its predecessor, thus increasing reliability.
Proceedings of the 1st pacific international conference on application of lasers and optics 2004 laser cutting. The guide covers all aspects of co2 and fiber laser cutting, including basic principles, cutting speeds, and cut quality, said dr. Dr john powell technical director is an acknowledged world expert in material processing with lasers. In this device, electricity is run through a gasfilled tube, producing light. Information is given on the cutting of metals and non metals on a wide range of levels from practical advice and processing parameters to explanations of the physical and chemical reactions which take. Introduction the carbon dioxide laser co2 laser was one of the earliest gas lasers to be developed invented by kumar patel of bell labs in 19641, and is still one of the most useful. The much higher reflectivity of co 2 laser from liquid, vapor and plasma of a tin target. Co2 laser cutting explains and describes how engineering materials are cut using a co2 laser. The current paper presents the lumpedparameter formulation of the laser power requirement as a function of cutting speed for oxygenassisted laser cutting of mild steel and nitrogen. Buy co2 laser cutting second edition 2 by john powell isbn. Kaplan2 1 laser expertise ltd, nottingham ng7 2tr, united kingdom. Laser cutter worlds largest selfassembly diy style. Pdf some aspects of the physics and chemistry of laser cutting. In the fore of these new technologies is the process of laser cutting.
Cut for demonstration purposes, further alignment and distancing are. There is no simple answer on the thickness a laser system can cut. The laser cutting parameters used in this test can be seen in table 2. Most laser cutting is carried out using co 2 or nd. The distribution of energy across the laser beam cross section is called its mode 3 poor mode quality results in poor cutting quality 3 laser mode identification and tuning require training a. A co2 laser power meter probe is very good at measuring actual laser output power. This text explains how engineering materials are cut by a co2 laser. It uses highpower 40w co2 laser tube and has the cutting area as big as 60cm40cm. Co2 laser beam polarisation requires careful control for successful metal cutting. Even though laser cutters can only cut out of flat materials they are surprisingly versatile. The general principles of cutting are similar for both types of laser although co 2 lasers dominate the market for reasons, which will be discussed later in the paper. Today most fiber laser cutting machines are today, most fiber laser cutting machines are used for thin sheets.
Lasers are used in a wide range of applications such as, laser surgery, heat treatment, welding and drilling. I dont know of any formal work on focus position in wood and acrylic. The width of laser cut or kerf, quality of the cut edges and the operating cost are affected by laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure, nozzle diameter and focus point position as well as the workpiece material. Fiber lasers vs co2 lasers a comparison from spi lasers.
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