The laser cutting process lends itself to automation with offline CAD/CAM systems controlling either three-axis flatbed systems or six-axis robots for three-dimensional laser cutting. In remote cutting, the material is partially evaporated (ablated) by a high-intensity laser beam, allowing thin sheets to be cut with no assist gas. In addition to exerting mechanical force on the molten material, this creates an exothermic reaction which increases the energy input to the process. In flame cutting, oxygen is used as the assist gas.
Nitrogen gas does not exothermically react with the molten material and thus does not contribute to the energy input. In fusion cutting, an inert gas (typically nitrogen) is used to expel molten material out of the kerf. There are three major varieties of laser cutting: fusion cutting, flame cutting and remote cutting. A continuous cut is produced by moving the laser beam or workpiece under CNC control. A co-axial gas jet is used to eject the molten material and create a kerf. Laser cutting is mainly a thermal process in which a focused laser beam is used to melt material in a localised area. Click here to see our latest technical engineering podcasts on YouTube.īy far the most popular use of lasers is for cutting. Able to heat, melt and even vaporise material, lasers are seen as the ideal medium for channelling intense but controllable energy. They offered an entirely new form of energy which in turn lent itself to uses in manufacturing, medicine and communications. National Structural Integrity Research CentreĬoined from the words Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation lasers have been a byword for efficiency and quality in materials processing since their advent in the sixties.Structural Integrity Research Foundation.