Laser cutting material analysis
Materials that can be cut:
All kinds of metal
Laser cutters can cut all types of metals, from mild steel to stainless steel to nonferrous metals.Aluminum and other reflective metals are not easy to cut, optical fiber laser is a better choice.Today, metal can be cut to 100 millimeters thick, depending on the power of the laser.
wood
All types of wood, including plywood and MDF, can be laser-cut, but some oily wood carries a risk of fire and should be used with special care.
Paper and cardboard
Paper can also be laser-cut, and we've seen some fancy invitations that can be laser-cut.
Plastic products
Acrylic, PMMA and Lucite are all clear plastics.Laser cutting ensures a nice edge finish, just like a knife cutting butter.
polyoxymethylene
Polyformaldehyde is a kind of plastic widely used in engineering field.It can be used for gears, steering and sliding parts, medical equipment, food packaging, etc.The ability to use lasers for complex cutting has helped make polyformaldehyde more widely available in many fields.
glass
Laser cutting glass seems an impossible task due to its vulnerability and reflectivity.However, laser cutting machines can cut glass.
Materials that cannot be cut:
(1) Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Cutting PVC releases acids and toxic fumes, which are harmful to both the machine operator and the laser cutter itself, so PVC cutting is left to the mechanical method.
(2) Polycarbonate fiber
Polycarbonate of less than 1 mm can be cut with a laser cutter, but can cause discoloration.
If the material is very thick, there is no way to use laser cutting, which is not only inefficient, the material will seriously fade, but also can cause combustion.
(3) ABS, high density polyethylene
Normally, the laser beam is hot enough to vaporize the material, but it does not support materials such as ABS or hdPE.They tend to melt rather than evaporate, leaving messy worktables and low-quality cuts.
(4) Styrofoam and polypropylene
Both are easy to catch on fire.
(5) Glass fiber
Fiberglass is a mixture of glass and epoxy.
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