What is laser cutting?
Laser cutting is using a laser to vaporise a material, which causes the material to be cut. The laser is focused using a lens onto the surface of the material. It can also be used to engrave a design into a material instead of cutting. The CNC and laser optics used to guide the laser mean that intricate designs can be cut, and because it cuts by vaporising instead of a cutting edge, the cuts can be made very cleanly. This creates a professional and sophisticated result.
What materials can you cut with laser cutting?
Laser cutting is very versatile. It can be used to cut intricate designs into paper, cardboard, POM plastic, and different types of metal. Laser cutting wood is also very popular. Plywood and MDF are good choices for laser cutting. Because of the high temperatures generated by laser cutting, the woods chosen shouldn't have a resin. Almost all metals can also be cut using laser cutting but it is more complicated to cut reflective metals or thick metals. CNC laser cutting can also be used on leather, fabric, and rubber.
What materials are difficult to cut?
Thick materials are more difficult to cut. Thicker sheet metals can cause thermal runaway, where the temperature continues escalating and can get out of control. Metals that are composed of multiple elements like carbon steel can respond differently to the laser and result in a less precise cut. 3D shapes are also more difficult to cut. Round objects like water bottles can be cut using a laser cutting machine but requires using a rotary laser cutter to rotate the object.
Can I laser cut at home?
At home laser cutting can be done with a retail laser cutting machine like a Glowforge. Glowforge uses a free web-based designer software that is simple to use, and there are many tutorials available on YouTube or other websites that can help you create a laser cutting design. However the upfront cost of a Glowforge machine, especially if you are interested in laser cutting larger shapes, is substantial. A Glowforge machine also has a large footprint at 97x53cm. Instead, why not outsource to a local laser cutting service like CUTWOOD.