Laser Cutting
Laser Cutting is used to cut out bigger piece of our work. This is because laser cutting is a faster process as compared to 3D printing.
Kerf
Laser burns away a portion of material when it cuts through the material. This is known as the laser kerf.
Laser kerf ranges from 0.08mm to 1mm depending on the material type and other conditional factor.
Any details narrower than 1mm are likely to be very fragile and in some cases, it can cause the material to warp while cutting.
As a benchmarl, it is recommended that the minimum cut widths to be bigger than the thickness of the material.
Kerf is determined by material properties and thickness. But other factors can also affect the laser cutting result.
Such as the focal length of the lens and pressure of compressed air.
For a Birch Plywood of 0.8mm, the kerf is 0.8mm.
For a Birch Plywood of 1.5mm, the kerf is 0.16mm.
For a Birch Plywood of 3mm, the kerf is 0.2mm.
For a Birch Plywood of 6mm, the kerf is 0.22mm.
For a Birch Plywood of 12mm, the kerf is 0.3mm
Power
When raster engraving small surface areas and larger surface areas, the engraving result can differ slightly even when the same laser settings are used.
Minor fluctuations can occur in depth and in some cases tone of engraving. This is based on the power distribution principal.
When we are engraving smaller surface area, the laser power is more concentrated because the stroke of the laser head (the movement from left to right) are in a smaller more focused area.
Speed
Speed is how quickly or slowly the laser nozzle move around in the X and Y directions.
The faster the nozzle moves, the less time it will take to complete.
Frequency
The frequency parameter specifies the number of laser pulses per second.
Frequency depends completely on the material used. For example wood cuts best at around 500 to 1000 Hz.