Laser cutting is a highly specialised manufacturing process. It requires specialised equipment which is often expensive, as well as knowledge of lasers and technical knowledge. This post looks at the way lasers work to carry out their function. A laser beam is composed of a column of very high intensity light, consisting of a single wavelength or colour. In the case of a typical CO2 laser, that wavelength is in the Infra-Red part of the light spectrum, so it is invisible to the human eye. The beam itself is only around 3/4 of an inch in diameter. It travels from the laser resonator, which creates the beam, through the machine’s beam path. After...
Lasers are perfect for making precision cuts, and no less so on paper and cardboard products. Being particularly suited for cutting fine geometries with maximum precision and quality, Laser paper cutting allow for cutting even the most delicate paper constructions, and creating a professional and clean, finished product. Its important to note that when cutting paper with lasers, the paper can sometimes burn. Just like wood, which has a similar chemical composition, paper is evaporated suddenly. This is called sublimation. In the area of the cutting clearance, the paper escapes in gaseous form, which is visible in the form smoke (at a high rate). This smoke transports the heat away from the paper, meaning...
LASER “The light that shines straight”. Over past 50 years there has been many significant changes in the laser history timeline. The invention of laser was earlier a mystery, now it has widespread applications which touch almost all the areas of human life. The high intensity focusing capability has made laser a popular engraving tool, popularly known as Laser engraving or laser marking system. Laser engraving also known as laser marking is a mechanism of marking or etching on an object. Laser use its high intensity beams to engrave the object. The laser beams and its focus are usually controlled by a complex computer program control system. Laser engraving has...
In the last post we looked at the general use of lasers. This post specifies on photo plotters and their use in industry. Photo plotting is the process of exposing a latent image on a media using a light source under computer control. The image is exposed on materials such as high contrast monochromatic photographic film. It is then processed in a film processor. Photo plotters are primarily used in the production of printed circuit boards, however due to their versatility in creating images they are also used in specialized graphic arts. The most recent advancement photo plotting technology is the LDI (laser direct imaging) machine. These machines utilise a high power laser or...