The technology of laser cutting Toronto
Laser technology has become an important part of manufacturing because of its accuracy and efficiency. Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It was in 1917 when Albert Einstein created the theoretical basis of the principle of stimulated emission that remained valid until today. The first laser however was built in 1960 and the first laser used in cutting was introduced in the 70’s. During the cutting process, the laser beam is focused on the material with all its power bundled at one point usually at a diameter of a less than half a millimeter. Once the focused laser beam strikes the sheet metal, it begins to melt or partly burns and evaporates. The real cutting process occurs when the laser beam penetrates the metal sheet. The laser beam will move along the contours of metal sheet and melts it as it passes. Molten metal and slag are blown away in a downward direction to create a narrow cutting gap that is barely wider than the focused laser beam itself.
Machine configurations used in laser cutting Toronto
Moving material configuration
The first configuration in the laser cutting system is moving material where the configuration involves a material that moves while the laser head is held in a fixed point. This type of configuration is used by laser cutting Toronto for precision cutting of thick flat sheet materials. In certain applications, the configuration is fitted with specialty accessories that blows away melted material. However, this configuration can be an issue when cutting large and heavy materials.
Flying optics configuration
The configuration of flying optics laser cutting system is the opposite of moving material configuration because it is the material that is fixed while the laser beam moves over it on two axes. This type of laser cutting configuration is more expensive than moving material because of the two laser heads. It is also the fastest configuration with higher accelerations and peak velocities compared to the moving material and hybrid configuration. It also requires more electric power, careful calibration and a professional to operate the machine.
Hybrid configuration
The hybrid configuration of laser cutting Toronto is a combination of moving material and flying optics configurations wherein both the laser beam and the material moves. The hybrid configuration is a popular technology because of the more constant beam delivery leading to reduced power loss in the delivery system and more capacity per watt.