Mike Lysov
05-17-2013, 8:20 PM
Hi guys,
finally got my new 280W laser fixed. It was delivered with one tube cracked(careless packing for the whole system) and it took almost three months to get it replaced.
It cuts thick MDF(tried up to 18mm) and even 18mm thick OAK quite nice and clean.
I asked the laser mfg if it can cut through metal with a proper gas and they told me it is not designed for it. They explained that laser beam reflection from shinny metal surface can damage laser tubes.
Ok, I thought I did not bought it for metals and that's ok it cannot do it.
But curiousity won and I decided to try with just normail air from my air compressor and some non shinny metal.
I found a piece of 1mm thick zink plate that is used to join wooden beams. I put it on a laser bed, focused, set speed to 400mm/m, set power to 90% and initial power to 65% and hit a start button. and .. it worked. The plate was cut through with just regular air. Wow!
Ok, it has not been as smooth as it sounds. I figured out that I did not set initial power to a proper number so initial pulse did not pierce through. But since the plate had a lot of holes for nails when the beam went through one of these wholes and hit the plate again it started cutting through.
Now, I am wondering, is it really a problem with some metals that beam can be reflected, sent back to the tube and damage it? But how do these metal laser cutting machine work if this problem exists?
I have tried to google but information I have found on a few websites is different. Some articles say that only 10% is reflected, some say that only specific metails reflect the beam.
finally got my new 280W laser fixed. It was delivered with one tube cracked(careless packing for the whole system) and it took almost three months to get it replaced.
It cuts thick MDF(tried up to 18mm) and even 18mm thick OAK quite nice and clean.
I asked the laser mfg if it can cut through metal with a proper gas and they told me it is not designed for it. They explained that laser beam reflection from shinny metal surface can damage laser tubes.
Ok, I thought I did not bought it for metals and that's ok it cannot do it.
But curiousity won and I decided to try with just normail air from my air compressor and some non shinny metal.
I found a piece of 1mm thick zink plate that is used to join wooden beams. I put it on a laser bed, focused, set speed to 400mm/m, set power to 90% and initial power to 65% and hit a start button. and .. it worked. The plate was cut through with just regular air. Wow!
Ok, it has not been as smooth as it sounds. I figured out that I did not set initial power to a proper number so initial pulse did not pierce through. But since the plate had a lot of holes for nails when the beam went through one of these wholes and hit the plate again it started cutting through.
Now, I am wondering, is it really a problem with some metals that beam can be reflected, sent back to the tube and damage it? But how do these metal laser cutting machine work if this problem exists?
I have tried to google but information I have found on a few websites is different. Some articles say that only 10% is reflected, some say that only specific metails reflect the beam.