Nowadays, laser cutting has become widely popular and is used by a lot of industries including automotive, medicine, electronics, aerospace, and semiconductors. But one of the most common applications of a laser cutter is for cutting metal such as tungsten, steel, aluminum, brass, nickel, and many more metal alloys. This is because lasers provide smooth finishes and clean cuts. One of the most interesting applications of a laser cutter is in the field of surgery wherein laser beams are being used to replace the scalpel in vaporizing human tissue. A perfect example is eye surgery where high-precision surgical procedures are critical.
Three Main Varieties of Laser Cutting
As for the major varieties of laser cutting, here are the top three most common today:
- Flame cutting. This laser cutting uses oxygen as the assist gas, which is blown into the kerf at high pressure. The heated material reacts with the oxygen and starts to burn and oxidize, expelling more energy and assisting the laser beam.
- Fusion Cutting. This variety uses inert gas like nitrogen in blowing away the material. It uses less power as the material is first heated up by the laser until it reaches its melting point and the inert gas blows it.
- Remote Cutting. In this last method, the cutter is using a high-intensity laser to partially ablate the material, which enables the cutting of thin sheets without requiring an assist gas.
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