Laser Power Required To Cut Metal

By far acrylic is the cheapest material to laser cut.

Laser power required to cut metal.

A 20w fiber laser will have little trouble marking most metals where as a 20w co2 laser has pretty much zero chance. Fiber lasers vs co 2. 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 engrave drill and cut from the commercially available options that we provide. As aluminum contains high thermal conductivity and is reflective a higher concentration of laser power is needed to initiate cuts compared to steel s less.

Generally speaking lower power co2 laser tubes will be able to process the same materials with the same detail and quality as higher power laser tubes but higher power laser tubes will allow you to 1 cut deeper in a single pass and 2 engrave faster in some materials. Given its dominance in the sheet metal cutting industry this article focuses on laser fusion cutting. Steel and stainless have a relatively high absorption of the wavelength associated with a co2 laser which is why you will see them listed as being able to be cut on a lower wattage gas assisted co2. 1in 2 645mm 2 a 100 watt laser can achieve a power density of 1550 watts mm 2 in a spot size that is 0 6452mm 2 a spot size that is 0 6452mm 2 has a diameter of of 28mm or 280 micron using area pi d 2 2 280 micron.

The two most common types of laser cutting machines are fiber laser and co 2. Steel sheet thickness in mm. You should cut clear acrylics at 1 8 39 41 power while doubling the power for. 10 watts per millimeter.

As a rule of thumb the following applies for acrylic for example. The thicker the material to be cut the more crucial a high laser power is in order to achieve a good quality. As a reference a 40 w laser can cut through paper cardboard foam and thin plastic while a 300 w laser can cut through thin steel and. Check out this simple guide to design your first laser cut metal part.

Cutting speed in meters per minute. Sheet metal cutting requires a power density of 10 6 watts in 2 source. Mike klos laser mechanisms converting to millimeters that s 1550 watts mm 2. If you d like to learn more about ablative laser cutting check out this article on micron scale manufacturing.

A comparison of the cutting time for different sheet thicknesses of acrylic between 200 and 400 watts is shown in the graphic. Co 2 lasers use an electromagnetically stimulated gas typically a mixture. Laser power in kw some new laser cutters have laser power of 4 kw.