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The CO2 laser (carbon dioxide laser) is produced in a gas mixture Jose Altuve Jersey , which mostly consists of carbon dioxide (CO2), helium and nitrogen. Such a laser is electrically pumped using an electric discharge.
CO2 lasers typically discharge at a wavelengt hose utilized for material processing can generate beams of many kilowatts in power. The wall-plug efficiency of CO2 lasers is about 10%, which is higher than for most lamp-pumped solid-state lasers (eg ND:YAG lasers), but lower than for many diode-pumped lasers .
A CO2 laser can cut thicker materials (>5mm) faster than a fibre laser of the same power. It also generates a smoother surface finish when cutting thicker materials.
Laser cutting of sheet metals historically initiated with CO2 lasers. Most CO2 laser cutting machines are three-axis systems (X-Y, two-dimensional positioning control with a Z-axis height control).There are, however, a number of ways of achieving the X-Y movement: either moving the laser head Michael Brantley Jersey , moving the work piece or a combination of both.
The most popular approach is known as a 'flying optics' system, where the work piece remains stationary and mirrors are moved in both X and Y axes. The advantages of this approach are that the motors are always moving a known, fixed mass. This can often be much heavier than the work piece, but it is easier to predict and control.
As the work piece is not moved, this also means that there is no real limit to sheet weight. The disadvantage of flying optics is the variation in beam size, as a laser beam is never perfectly parallel, but actually diverges slightly as it leaves the laser.
This means that without controlling the distinction Alex Bregman Jersey , there may be some variation in cutting performance between different parts of the table, due to a change in raw beam size. This effect can be decreased by adding a re-collimating optic, or some systems even use adaptive mirror control.
The alternative is a 'fixed optic' system where the laser head remains stationary and the work piece is moved in both X and Y axes. This is the ideal situation optically, but the worse situation mechanically, especially for heavier sheets.
For relatively light sheet weights, a fixed optic system can be a viable option, but as the sheet weight increases Carlos Correa Jersey , accurately positioning the material at high speed can be a problem.
The third option is known as a 'hybrid' system, where the laser head is moved in one axis and the material moved in the other axis. This is often an improvement over fixed optics, but still suffers from difficulties with heavier sheet weights.
Laser Cutting Work
The laser beam is a column of very high intensity light, of a single wavelength, or color. In the case of a typical CO2 laser, that wavelength is in the Infra-Red part of the light spectrum, so it is invisible to the human eye. The beam is only about 34 of an inch in diameter as it travels from the laser resonator Nolan Ryan Jersey , which generates the beam, through the mach eam path. It may be bounced in different directions a curved mirror, and this takes place in the laser cutting head. The beam has to be precisely focused so that the shape of the focus spot and the density of the energy in that spot are perfectly round, consistent & centered in the nozzle. By focusing the large beam down to a singl