The extraordinary ability of a laser cutting machine is that it can instantly melt or vaporize metals, woods, plastics and even fabrics, and precisely cut out complex patterns. It uses a high-power-density laser beam as a "hot cutting knife", and through precise computer control, it rapidly heats the material surface locally, achieving fine and efficient non-contact cutting.
Laser cutting is achieved by applying the high power density energy generated after laser focusing. Under the control of a computer, the laser is discharged through pulses to output controlled repetitive high-frequency pulsed laser, forming a beam of a certain frequency and pulse width. This pulsed laser beam is conducted and reflected through the optical path and focused on the surface of the object to be processed by the focusing lens group, forming a series of fine, high-energy-density light spots. The focal spot is located near the surface to be processed. Melt or vaporize the processed material at an instant high temperature. The core of a laser cutting machine lies in the laser beam it generates, which features good monochromaticity, strong directionality and high coherence.
Core component: A precise system that works in coordination
A typical laser cutting machine consists of several key parts:
Laser generator: The "heart" that generates laser beams. The main types are:
CO2 laser: A gas laser with a wavelength of 10.6μm, it excels at cutting non-metals (wood, acrylic, leather, fabric, paper) and some metals.
Fiber laser: Solid-state laser, with a wavelength of approximately 1.06μm, features high photoelectric conversion efficiency and excellent beam quality. It is particularly adept at cutting metals (such as stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, copper, etc.) and is currently the mainstream in metal cutting.
Nd:YAG laser: Solid-state laser, with an application range between CO2 and fiber.
Light guiding system: The "optical path" that transmits the laser from the generator to the cutting head. CO2 lasers commonly use mirrors, while fiber lasers are transmitted through flexible optical fibers.
Cutting head: It includes key components such as a focusing lens (to focus the laser beam into an extremely small spot), a nozzle (to guide the auxiliary gas and protect the lens), a height sensor (to automatically maintain the optimal distance between the cutting head and the material surface), and a gas channel.
Numerical control system and motion system: The "brain" and "hands and feet" of the machine. The numerical control system reads the design files (such as DXF, DWG), precisely controls the movement of the cutting head in the X and Y axes (driven by precision guides and servo motors), and coordinates parameters such as laser power, gas type/pressure, and cutting speed.
Workbench: Supports the material to be processed, usually equipped with honeycomb panels or racks for convenient support and blanking.
Cooling system: When the laser is in operation, it generates a large amount of heat and requires a water cooling or air cooling system to maintain its stable operation.
Auxiliary gas system: It provides oxygen required for cutting (to assist combustion and increase speed, used for carbon steel), nitrogen (inert protection to prevent oxidation, used for stainless steel and aluminum), compressed air (lower cost, used for some non-metals and thin metals), etc.
Laser cutting technology is widely applied in manufacturing due to its significant advantages:
High precision: The laser spot is extremely small (up to 0.1mm or less), the cutting seam is narrow (0.1-0.3mm), and the position accuracy is high, enabling extremely fine and complex contour cutting.
Good cut quality: The cut surface is smooth and flat, with no or few burrs, a small heat-affected zone, and no or only a small amount of secondary processing is required.
High speed: Especially when cutting thin plate materials, the efficiency far exceeds that of traditional mechanical cutting methods (such as plasma, flame, water jet, and punch press).
Non-contact processing: The laser beam does not come into contact with the material surface, avoiding mechanical stress and enabling the processing of easily deformed or brittle materials.
High flexibility: The cutting patterns can be easily and quickly changed through the software, adapting to small-batch and multi-variety production, especially suitable for customization and prototyping.
Strong material adaptability: It can cut metals (steel, aluminum, copper, titanium, etc.), non-metals (wood, acrylic, plastic, rubber, fabric, leather, ceramics, stone, etc.) and their composite materials.
High degree of automation: Easy to integrate with automated production lines to achieve unattended processing.