3 Types Of Laser Cutting Machines And Advantages Of Each

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While laser cutting is generally done in the manufacturing industry, laser cutting machines are also being used in schools, medical facilities, and even in the home. Laser cutting is exactly what it sounds like, it is using laser technology to cut into different types of materials. Many manufacturers have realized the advantages that laser cutting has over machine cutting, some of which include reduced amounts of contamination to the material being used and increased cutting precision.

There are three primary types of machines that get used for laser cutting and each has its own advantages:

Solid State Laser

This type of laser cutting machine uses optical pumping, which is a process in which light is used to pump electrons in an atom from a lower level to a higher level. The light that's needed gets produced by either a flash tube or an arc lamp. Laser diodes can also be used. Some of the advantages of using solid state laser cutting machines include:

• They cut very quickly, especially thin sheets of metal
• They work especially well when flexible beam guidance is necessary

Two of the most common types of solid state laser cutting machines include fiber lasers and crystal lasers. Fiber lasers are primarily used for metal engraving and annealing. Crystal lasers generally get used for marking plastic and metal marking.

CO2 Laser

This type of laser cutting machine uses a carbon dioxide gas mixture that gets electrically stimulated. They are most widely used on non-metallic materials including plastics, wood, glass, acrylics, and textiles. Some of the advantages of CO2 laser cutting machines include:

• They are durable and require very little maintenance
• They provide a high-quality edge so that no rework is required

CO2 laser machines work well for cutting and welding. They are also used in the medical field for soft tissue surgical procedures.

Laser Microjet

This type of cutting machine uses laser technology along with water, in which the water jet is used to guide the light. Microjets are highly effective when it comes to cutting diamonds, stamping, etching, and water jet cutting. Some of the advantages of microjet laser cutting machines include:

• The water washes away debris as it cuts and it also keeps the material cool
• Provides high dicing speeds and can be used for omnidirectional cutting

One more advantage that using a microjet laser cutting machine offers is that it can be used on virtually any type of material.

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29 August 2017