I am looking to find the best laser for cutting/burning. I know higher power = better burning, but i have also read plenty saying that mw is only one small factor in burning ability. I know that you cant burn red items with a red laser, you cant burn blue items with a blue laser, etc... I have read that higher wavelengths have more heating power (red and IR create more heat than say a blue or green) but i also heard that beam style has a great influence on burning (green has a very tight concentrated beam which is better for burning than a blue, which has a large rectangular beam)
I understand that the better you can focus the light in a small area the better the burn. I have also read that the actual burning power of a laser is greatly different between different colors (a red may only need 200mw to burn the same as a 500mw in a blue, etc)
I originally got into all this in an attempt to build a CNC laser cutting table for cutting sheet metal. (like a plasma cutter) but realized i was not ready to deal with 100's of watts of invisible laser quite yet. But i do have some experience with lasers, and a good bit of skill in custom mechanical and electrical stuff. I have already built a CNC mill and have a metal lathe. I was just thinking it would not take much to add a laser head to my CNC mill... and be able to cut/etch/engrave things if i had the right laser.
i thought it would be super cool to get a laser capable of cutting foam, paper, acrylic, etc...
my problem is that i learn my trial, not so much from reading. I can read articles and reviews and how to's for weeks.. and not fully wrap my head around it until i get in and actually get my hands on something or talk to someone who knows this stuff.
so can anyone tell me what i should start looking into? should i not waste my time on "laser pointers" and "diode lasers" and jump right into a CO2 or YAG laser? or can i get good results using a near-IR diode laser?
I do not know how well any of this will work, but i am willing to give it a try. I have seen some really neat stuff made on home-brew cnc laser cutters. I already have the CNC part done and 100% working. so to fit a laser to it would just be a logical upgrade.
so help me out my friends, what is the best way to go for laser cutting power? what is the best bang for the buck? what burns what the best?
I understand that the better you can focus the light in a small area the better the burn. I have also read that the actual burning power of a laser is greatly different between different colors (a red may only need 200mw to burn the same as a 500mw in a blue, etc)
I originally got into all this in an attempt to build a CNC laser cutting table for cutting sheet metal. (like a plasma cutter) but realized i was not ready to deal with 100's of watts of invisible laser quite yet. But i do have some experience with lasers, and a good bit of skill in custom mechanical and electrical stuff. I have already built a CNC mill and have a metal lathe. I was just thinking it would not take much to add a laser head to my CNC mill... and be able to cut/etch/engrave things if i had the right laser.
i thought it would be super cool to get a laser capable of cutting foam, paper, acrylic, etc...
my problem is that i learn my trial, not so much from reading. I can read articles and reviews and how to's for weeks.. and not fully wrap my head around it until i get in and actually get my hands on something or talk to someone who knows this stuff.
so can anyone tell me what i should start looking into? should i not waste my time on "laser pointers" and "diode lasers" and jump right into a CO2 or YAG laser? or can i get good results using a near-IR diode laser?
I do not know how well any of this will work, but i am willing to give it a try. I have seen some really neat stuff made on home-brew cnc laser cutters. I already have the CNC part done and 100% working. so to fit a laser to it would just be a logical upgrade.
so help me out my friends, what is the best way to go for laser cutting power? what is the best bang for the buck? what burns what the best?