The Evolution and History of Laser Cutting Technology

Many people associate lasers with sci-fi movies, particularly the famous lightsabers used in Star Wars or red laser line traps you&#;d see in spy movies. It is true that lasers frequently appear in popular culture, but laser cutting technology is also widely used by various secondary sector industries to laser cut and engrave materials at high precision as part of their production processes. 

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(Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, pictured above)

Although laser cutting appears to be a contemporary technology, its early origins might surprise you. The foundation of the first optical laser beams can be found in the theoretical work of Einstein. Then, it followed a remarkable evolutionary path and went on to become the powerful industrial cutting, etching and welding laser machines we see today. 

Let's read about the basic concept of laser cutting technology and its history.

What Is Laser Cutting?

Hard materials can be cut or engraved by melting, burning, or vaporizing the materials. The laser cutting technology is called laser cutting. Laser cutting can be used to drill holes or cut shapes in metal and other materials in a production line.

It has numerous industrial uses in diverse industries. Laser cutting is also a creative method used to carve decorative patterns on surfaces. With the help of the best laser engraving machines, you can execute any design you desire with high precision and speed. 

The main benefit of laser machine technology is its accuracy; for pin-point precision, the high power beam is concentrated through a laser cutting nozzle. Nowadays, intricate designs may be implemented in industrial lasers, thanks to the usage of engineering CAD technology software in laser cutting.

How Does Laser Cutting Work?

A laser works by stimulating the atoms in a solid, liquid, or gas medium. This calls for an energy pump, which may be a second laser or even an electrical current. Light is produced as the medium's atoms begin to absorb energy. By positioning a mirror at each end of the medium to create an optical cavity, this laser light is focused.

A laser beam is focused onto sheet metal or similar hard material to create a vaporization effect. The focus point and wattage of the laser beam can be changed by experts using lenses, mirrors, and pressurized gasses such as carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen. After the material is etched by the laser beam's burning or melting, the technician can move the laser cutting machine head to the next spot with its X-Y axis gantry rails. 

Who Invented Laser Cutting?

When Albert Einstein developed his hypothesis of "stimulated emission of radiation," which forms the basis of the current laser, the history of laser cutting began. He postulated that when electrons absorb enough energy to advance an energy level within an atom, they may produce photons.

Gordon Gould, a scientist, developed Einstein's theory in . He proposed that light could be amplified by using the stimulated emission of radiation. Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, or LASER for short, is the name of his theory.

The first functional laser was created by Theodore Maiman in a California lab in . Despite the fact that many of his contemporaries couldn't find a use for his ruby laser, he used synthetic ruby to produce a deep red beam. In fact, the public viewed the technology with skepticism and even distrust and labeled it "a solution seeking for a problem." But many scientists, particularly those working at Bell Labs in New Jersey, saw Maiman's invention's potential.

In , a scientist at Bell Labs created laser-assisted thermal cutting methods. In order to improve on ruby laser cutting in terms of speed and efficiency, Kumar Patel invented a gas laser cutting technique using a carbon dioxide combination. Later that year, J.E. Geusic, a coworker at Bell Labs, developed the crystal laser technique. The invention attracted the public's interest, and it was used in a famous scene in the bond film Goldfinger, in which the movie's antagonist attempted to use a laser beam to split James Bond in half.

(Goldfinger, )

First Use of a Laser Cutter

The Western Engineering Research Center in Buffalo, New York, was the first organization to use laser cutting in . The team was looking for a more effective method of producing electrical wires. Diamond dies were then used by manufacturers to extrude metal wire, and it was costly, time-consuming, and challenging to drill the die holes.

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To drill the holes more quickly, the Western Engineering Research Center invented focused laser beam cutting. This was a pivotal point in the development of laser cutting and opened the door for other businesses to investigate the possible applications of laser cutting technology. The focus of the group's work was largely on learning more about the security of laser beams and their potential health risks.

History of Laser Cutting Technology

Scientists created the gas laser cutting technique utilizing carbon dioxide not long after the Western Engineering Research Center began using laser cutting technology as a drilling tool. This innovation increased the adaptability of laser cutting technology. The general acceptance of the technique was especially dependent on the creation of lasers that could cut through metals like mild steel.

In , the Boeing Company was the first to commercially use gas laser cutting. Three employees of this company co-wrote a paper that explored the concept of using a carbon dioxide laser to cut Hastelloy, titanium, and ceramic. As a result of this paper, multi-beam laser cutting technology was created, and Boeing began utilizing laser beams as a productive cutting method on its manufacturing lines. In the s, Western Electric began mass producing laser cutting equipment that was extensively used in the aerospace sector.

During the s, gas based laser cutting became widely used. According to the experts, more than 20,000 industrial laser machines are estimated to have been in use. As a result, manufacturing industries were completely transformed by the use of laser cutting techniques, which marked the start of a new industrial revolution.

Another crucial turning point in the development of laser cutting machines occurred in . Laser cutting was two-dimensional up until this time. The Italian company Prima Industrie created a 3D laser cutting method that greatly increased the possible uses for laser cutting technology.

Laser Cutting Technology Today

Since the Boeing Company began producing laser-drilled dies in the late s, laser cutting has advanced significantly. Nowadays, laser energy is widely used across many industries, particularly in the production of automobile parts and construction. With the development of laser cutting technology, thicker and more diverse materials, including acrylic, leather, hard plastics and even metal, may now be cut using this method. Manufacturers may scale up production while reducing worker hours thanks to the much faster material cutting speeds offered by fiber and CO2 laser cutting systems compared to earlier methods. That is why CO2 laser machines and fiber laser engravers are gaining popularity.

CO2 laser engraving is also widely used on small scale production for household items. Ever noticed some patterned engravings on your kitchen cutting board or serial numbers on your pen, you very likely have items in your home that have been cut or engraved by lasers, so just have a look around. The best laser engraving machines are widely used by small businesses and crafty hobbyists to engrave patterned decorations, text or logos onto objects, including items such as the letters on your computer's keyboard.

Key Take Away

Laser cutting machines are a fascinating technology with an intriguing history. You need the right tools and knowledge to execute the task accurately and effectively. Whether you need CO2 laser machines or fiber cutting lasers for cutting or engraving, OMTech is a reliable service provider that can assist you in finding the right solution for your specific needs. Grow your home businesses or find a part time income and hobby.

The three basic families of laser cutting machines are listed below, as are the types of laser technology employed on these platforms:

Moving Material Machines 

Moving material machine is a common format among larger, commercial-grade machines. Here, laser generators can be placed directly over the cut point, directing the cutter energy along a reflector path. With this type of machine, all cutting takes place at one point, which makes the control of cutting detritus easy. Simpler optics are possible due to greater optical path-length consistency than for moving laser machines. The lower system losses in the optical path often result in greater cut capacity per laser watt. On the other hand, moving material machines require a larger machine for the same material stock size. Moving the table involves more mass than moving a laser gantry, so the format tends to process parts more slowly, with thinner material stock.

Flying Optics Machines

These machines employ a moving optical head delivering the energy to cut material that remains stationary. Flying optics machines fall into two categories (high-power machines and lower-power machines), largely depending on laser size. High-power machines position the laser module away from the cutting point and deliver energy through reflector paths to a collimator at the cutting head. Lower-power machines generally place the laser directly at the cutting head, to make a much simpler device. Some machines operate a form of compensation to allow for the variable optical path, whereas some use active optics to achieve the same result.

The reduced moving mass of flying optics machines allows faster axis travel. This feature results in faster processing of thin materials and lower motion drive power/cost than moving material systems. A smaller machine footprint (or larger material stock capacity) also reduces operational costs. The complexity of optics, however, increases machine cost. Its variable path length requires careful design of either the optics system, path compensation, or both. Path compensation makes the machine footprint larger, and more delicate optics implies higher maintenance costs.

Hybrid Systems Machines

Hybrid systems machines generally have semi-flying optics for one axis (Y usually) and moving material drive for the other (X) axis. This feature alters the economics, machine size, and reliability issues and results in a mid-size footprint between the two other systems&#;more compact than moving material machines. Hybrid systems machines have simpler laser paths than flying optics machines; while processing speeds generally sit between the other two options. Hybrid systems machines also reduced path length change compared with flying optics, making for less power wastage.

Laser Types

Two basic families of lasers are employed in industrial cutting equipment. These are:

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1. CO2 Lasers: CO2 lasers range in power from a few hundred mW to 12 kW. The stimulated emission device is the gas itself. There are two types: low-cost DC (or glass tube) devices and RF devices. Low-cost DC (or glass tube) devices have a short life and lower precision, decrease in power output as they age, and are disposable. RF (&#;metal&#; or &#;ceramic&#; devices) are much higher cost, have tighter beams and longer life, and are fully refurbishable. For both types, the emission frequency is 10.6 μm.
2. Fiber Lasers: Fiber lasers use silica glass rods, doped with various chemistries, as the stimulated emission device, in much the same way as the ruby rod of a ruby laser works. The dopants define the emission frequency of the device. In the case of fiber (or solid-state) laser devices for laser cutting, these dopants are generally Neodymium&#;Yttrium&#;Aluminum&#;garnet (NdYAG), emitting infrared radiation at nm.