Laser Cutting tips. How laser cutting works

The term "LASER" is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.


How laser cutting works.

Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high power laser at the material to be cut. The material then either melts, burns or evaporates away leaving a cutting edge.

Minimum Distance between objects ready for laser cutting.
As a guide: The thicker the material to be laser cut the wide the free space should be between letters, object and shapes or other lines or spacers.

• Set a minimum   8mm   for All objects and lettering, regardless of size or thickness, grade of materials to be laser cut or other when you are making signs and signage.

Cutting Techniques
One of the many advantages of fabricating with a laser is the ability to engrave and cut in the same job. When creating jobs for laser cutting in your layout program, you must first understand that the difference between a raster and vector line is the thickness of line. Most laser systems view a line thickness that is .01mm. or less as a vector line. See our Ezine on Vector drawing and Bitmap Comparisons.

Advantages of laser cutting over mechanical cutting such as router cut signs or saw cut signage vary according to the situation, but important factors are; lack of physical contact, since there is no cutting edge which can become contaminated by the material or contaminate the material, and to some extent precision, since there is no wear on the laser. Disadvantages of laser cutting may include the high energy required.

What is laser cutting?

Capabilities that providers of laser machining services offer include size and capacity considerations and materials processed. Size and capacity choices include micro machining, less than 5mm. Micro machining is precision machining of integrate detail on small parts. Materials processed by providers of laser machining services include exotic metals and alloys, ferrous metals, nonferrous metals, precious metals, glass or ceramics, plastics, rubber, sapphire or quartz, and stone or marble or granite.

Industrial laser cutting is a CNC controlled, non-contact cutting tool process that allows quick, accurate cutting with a narrow kerf (cutting groove). Laser types for CNC laser cutting include CO2 lasers. Laser cutting is a very versatile operation that has short setup times, and can be used to cut a wide range of materials of varying hardness and composition. Some of the advantages of laser cutting are high accuracy, cutting of unlimited and complex shapes, clean cutting that requires little or no finishing and generates a minimum amount of heat, and distortion-free cutting.

Laser cutting can be used with a wide range of materials. In addition to stock metals, stone, plastics and rubbers, laser cutters are often used on exotic metals and minerals that would quickly dull or damage conventional blade or wire cutters. These included such items as hardened ceramics and precious gemstones.

In addition to straight laser cutting, many laser cutting job shops can provide a wide range of custom laser cutting services. Some of these include laser cutting and stencilling, laser cutting drilling, and laser welding. While similar to laser cutting, these secondary operations involve more intricate or precise marking abilities. Generally, the laser types used are the same as straightforward laser cutting.

You can also see our unique products Floor Graphics using Laser Cut floor tiles.

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Laser cutting requires specific technical knowledge and set up of your files. If you need a special section or letter, logo or graphic designs that will be laser cut, please call us. We offer one to one assistance to help you achieve better laser cutting results.
Call us before you set any path direction or object placement position or relative or absolute graphic line.