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Laser Cutting: The Fundamentals

When we think of lasers, we may conjure up something seen in the movies. Lasers, however, can be found in real-world industry, making slicing and transforming objects much easier in industry. In laser material processing, a laser will strike a target and alterations to that object will occur, such as through absorption of photons, which are particles of light emitted from the laser. These particles will be changed into heat energy.

How Lasers Actually Work

Lasers are the devices that control how highly stimulated atoms emit photons to create a stream of light. There are only three things that can occur when a laser connects with a material. The laser light stream will either be reflected, sent, or it will be absorbed into the object. Sometimes two or three of these occurrences, such as transmission and absorption, may happen at the same time. The beam will be a certain wavelength and a certain color as well as tight and concentrated, not like beams of light normally found in everyday life. If the majority of the beam is absorbed into an object, which is most often the case in laser material processing, the main traits that have to be taken into consideration are the average strength the laser light has, its intensity on the object it hits, and its wavelength. Intensity on a basic level is the brightness of the laser beam. The wavelength is the sequence of waves the photons create. Think of a moving water wave, the photons are fluctuating in the same type of wave. The average power of a laser beam is measured in watts (W). Lasers all have an active medium that absorbs energy. The medium can be composed of either a solid crystal-like material, fluid, gas (such as in a CO2 laser), or a diode, and holds the atoms absorbing the energy. A laser also has to have a method to make the atoms become excited. This might be a light source, for example.

The optical resonator is a set of mirrors in the laser system. One of the abilities of a laser is to energize the atoms to get them in an excited state. This is done by pumping up what is referred to as a lasing medium inside the laser. At each extreme of the lasing medium is a mirror. Photons reflect off of both of the mirrors and energize other electrons to discharge even more photons. The mirror at one end lets some light through, which is the laser beam. Getting the atoms excited takes getting their matching electrons at a high level of energy. The energized electrons that initially soaked in energy to get excited can now emit energy as light energy, or a stream of photons.

Lasers and Different Classifications

Lasers are rated according to the traits of average power, wavelength, and intensity. This implies they are either solid-state, fluid, gaseous, or semi conductor lasers. Solid-state are lasers with material that is optically clear and the engaged medium is solid. Fluid, or dye lasers have a environment that is liquid and they can work with pulsing or continuous wavelengths. Gas of gas. Examples of gas lasers are CO2 lasers and neon signs seen in shop displays. And the fourth group is semi conductor or diode lasers that are the most common type of laser.

Laser Cutting

Using CO2 lasers as an example, carbon dioxide atoms in gaseous form become excited at a low pressure between two mirrors. One of the mirrors allows a little bit of the light stream escape. They produce a huge amount of heat. The light output is at the end of the infrared spectrum. Having a beam of high quality is important, especially in cutting. Lasers cut by using the light beam the laser makes. The beam starts by melting what is in front of it or oftentimes through vaporization. Cutting occurs when the beam has cut through the object. There are various types of lasers designed to slice various types of materials. CO2 lasers have high capacities for absorption, and are commonly used in the cutting of plastics, wood, stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, and other metals such as titanium. CO2 lasers have other materials in them besides carbon dioxide; they have a mixture of gases such as helium (He) and nitrogen (N2). Nitrogen will slice up to ½ inch thick stainless steel in addition to aluminum. Oxygen will cut carbon steel. Laser cutting advantages include no wear and tear on machinery, are faster than using other methods of cutting, and can cut through thicker materials.

Lasers have uses ranging from communications to uses in the field of medicine. They have revolutionized surgery and cutting in industry. It is interesting to see what will happen in the future with laser cutting abilities.

About the Author

Marc Anderes is the VP of Operations of Maloya Laser which specializes in Metal Manufacturing and Laser Cutting with advanced laser technologies, for aerospace, scientific, transportation, medical and machinery requirements.

What electronic component is this?

It sits on (probably) the image controller board (made by Murata) from a Brother Laser Printer. Its symbol on the PCB silk screen looks like this

Diagram almost makes it look like a fusible link/device. Check with an analog ohmmeter. =

New Single Diode Laser Controller From OEM Tech
AMS Technologies announces a new range of laser diode controllers incorporating temperature controller from Belorussia based OEM Tech System Engineering.

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