How powerful must it be?

[sephiroth]

Does someone have expirience with these things?
How powerful must be that laser to cut so precisely and without burning too much wood? :yh:

 

[HIMNL9]

Difficult to say only from the video ..... don't know that specific cutter, but judging only from the image, it can be a 60 or 80W CO2 watercooled tube .....

 

[Cyparagon]

Yeah, at least 60W.

 

[DashApple]

Hey

Will b most likly over 60watt as said above , wavelenght is 10600nm , and focused with a ZnSe lens to cut the material

 

[Pontiacg5]

My CO2 wouldn't cut like that, the beam diverged too quickly and left a rounded edge on the wood. Without a lens it just set the wood on fire.

My laser was only 20W though

 

[HIMNL9]

You need a focusing system, preferably with ZnSe lenses, that can focus the beam in different distances and "shape" burning zones, for the different thickness of the materials .....

I mean, if you need to cut thin items (or just engrave), the focus can be a point at short distance from the lens ..... if you need to cut thick items, the focusing point need to be a "line shaped" focusing zone, with the center of the focus at the middle of the thickness of the material, for cut it in the better way ..... like in this draw:

Also, for materials that can take fire, you need a more powerful beam and a higher speed of cutting, for reduce the heat adsorbed from the material and the burned zone (and, in some of these cutters, for flammable materials like wood, there's also a tube that blow CO2 gas at the cutting point, for reduce the risk to set all on fire )

 

[sephiroth]

Thanks HIMNL9! :gj:

Did someone try to do something like this at home?

 

[DashApple]

Thanks HIMNL9! :gj:

Did someone try to do something like this at home?

If you mean , someone has a co2 laser at home and tryed cutting ? things i have and ive seen someone eals on here with one too

I have a co2 laser tube and ZnSe lens with a 5 inch FL , cuts quite well , Have tryed things like wood and that , unfocused it takes 6 minuits to go trough a 1 inch thick pice of wood , things like 3 -4 mm wood it cuts instantly along with card and paper

 

[Cyparagon]

I've cut things with mine, but in no precise fashion - just cutting for the sake of cutting with the object in a pair of pliers. My lens is 7" FL, and my tube is 60W.

 

[Pontiacg5]

You need a focusing system, preferably with ZnSe lenses, that can focus the beam in different distances and "shape" burning zones, for the different thickness of the materials .....

I mean, if you need to cut thin items (or just engrave), the focus can be a point at short distance from the lens ..... if you need to cut thick items, the focusing point need to be a "line shaped" focusing zone, with the center of the focus at the middle of the thickness of the material, for cut it in the better way ..... like in this draw:

Also, for materials that can take fire, you need a more powerful beam and a higher speed of cutting, for reduce the heat adsorbed from the material and the burned zone (and, in some of these cutters, for flammable materials like wood, there's also a tube that blow CO2 gas at the cutting point, for reduce the risk to set all on fire )

That was the issue with my laser, I think my lens was around 3" FL. If i had a longer FL, I'm sure it would be ok.

 

[sephiroth]

What is the minimum power that could cut 5mm wood? Can you get it from LD or it must be a gas laser?

 

[sephiroth]

Of course, wood doesn't have to be cut instantly. :yh:

 

[HIMNL9]

What is the minimum power that could cut 5mm wood? Can you get it from LD or it must be a gas laser?

I suppose 40 to 60 W from a CO2 tube is enough for a good work ..... also, you can easily found diode blocks in the same power range, with a fiber coupler (so the fiber output can be focused much more easily than the direct output of a diode array), but they are usually in the range of 808 or 980 nm, and these wavelenghts are not the better ones for cutting machines (it can work the same, is just not the better wavelenght) ..... a CO2 laser, for this purpose, have the better wavelenght (and also, a protection can be made around the cutting zone using plexiglass or polycarbonate, instead have to use special, extremely expensives glass panels treated for near IR)