How Does A Laser Cutting Work?

BySteven Glassner

Laser cutting is used in everything from cutting metal plates while manufacturing to cutting skin layers while surgeries. Lasers are highly accurate in cutting mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminum plate. With a very small kerf width and a small heat-affected zone, cutting small holes and intricate shapes becomes easy. Laser cutting is a stable, reliable, and one of the most accurate cutting processes if performed according to instructions and by using the right products. For buying cutter parts or replacements, you can go for esab plasma cutter parts and esab replacement parts.

 With many uses, laser cutting might have interested you to apply it for your business, but you will need a guide on ‘how to use laser cutting’ right? So, here it is:

How it Works

A laser cutter is a form of digital manufacturing technology that utilizes 2D vector files in order to guide lasers for perfect cutting. It contains glass fibers or a gas mixture of a crystal body. The laser beam is a column of extremely high-intensity light, of a single wavelength, or color. The laser beam is about ¾ of an inch in diameter as it travels from the laser resonator. It then creates the beam through the machine’s beam path.

 To begin cutting, the machine will require energy to send the beam through various mirror lenses. There is a possibility of it bouncing in different directions by a number of mirrors known as ‘beam benders.’ Then the focused laser beam goes through the bore of a nozzle before it hits the metal.

 To cut the metal precisely, you need to focus on the spot and the density for perfectly round, consistent, and centered in the nozzle. To focus on a laser beam you can use:

  • Special lens
  • Curved mirror

Focusing the large beam to a single pinpoint increases the heat density at that spot at its extreme. Because when 6 KWatts of energy focuses on a single spot, the heat extreme will reach its extreme. When the high power density focuses on one spot, it results in rapid heating, melting, and partial or complete vaporizing of the material. While cutting mild steel, the heat of the laser beam is enough to start an “oxy-fuel” burning process, and the laser cutting gas will be pure oxygen there. While cutting stainless steel or aluminum materials, the laser beam melts the material, and high-pressure nitrogen is used to blow the molten metal out of the kerf. Cutters like esab plasma cutter parts will help you for a smooth kerf finishing. On a CNC laser cutter, the laser cutting head moves over the metal plate in the shape of the desired part which cuts the part out of the plate giving you a wanted shape.

 The distance between the end of the nozzle and the plate is very important because it determines where the focal point is relative to the surface of the plate. Raising or lowering the focal point from just above the surface of the plate, at the surface, or just below the surface affects the cut quality. Now the question would be, ‘How can one control or maintain an accurate distance between the end of the nozzle and the plate?’ A capacitive height control system is the answer. There are many other factors too that affect cut quality, but there are ways to control it.

 You can use advanced nesting software to utilize the majority of the raw material and eliminate metal waste. This will even maximize the value for your customers.

Industries that use the Laser cutting method are:

  • Construction
  • Industrial fabrication/manufacturing
  • Military and Defense
  • Automotive
  • Recreational Vehicles
  • OEM
  • Agricultural
  • Furniture
  • Communications/telecom
  • Alternative Energy

Laser cutting is a stable, reliable, and one of the most accurate cutting processes if performed according to instructions and by using the right products. Replacing the cutter parts is the best option to avoid quality problems, esab replacement parts are worth your trust and money.