What Is Laser Cutting & What Are Laser Cutters Used For?

Laser cutters are delicate and useful pieces of equipment. They have their uses in the industry or even in the comforts of one’s home. However, not many people are aware of its usage in various industries and what its core purpose is in the industry.

A laser cutting machine is used to precisely cut machine parts. In the engineering industry, laser cutting machines are widely used to cut structural and piping components, as well as flat sheet materials such as metal.

Covering the fundamentals will not be enough as the applications of laser cutters can vary greatly. Some may even be used for making engravings, and the amount of precision required can change their applications.

In this article, we'll take a look at what exactly a laser cutter is, what are main uses of laser cutters, how it works and in which industries it's employed.

Laser Cutter: What Is It? How Does It Work?

Laser Cutter: What Is It? How Does It Work?

A laser cutter is a computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine. Users can use digital software to develop blueprints and ideas and then utilize them to make the laser cutter cut accordingly. The most common uses of laser cutters are to cut materials such as wood, acrylic, cardboard, and paper.

Laser cutting machines are versatile instruments that are used in a variety of sectors for precise cutting and design. Since they can be used via computers, they are an amazing digital tool that houses amazing capabilities.

Laser cutting machines use a powerful laser beam to precisely cut or engrave a pattern onto materials such as bronze, aluminum, plastic, steel, or wood.

It is commonly used in industrial production applications, where the beam burns, vaporizes, or melts away industrial materials, resulting in a superior end design based on accurate measurements.

Laser cutters are ideal all-purpose tools since they can cut a wide range of patterns. Although laser cutting is a modern technique for cutting forms or designs in the industrial business, it is gaining traction in other sectors, such as schools and hobbyists.

Laser cutters are classified into two broad categories: CO2 lasers and Neodymium lasers. Now that we've covered the principles of what laser cutters are, it's time to go through some of the most popular real-world uses for this incredible piece of technology.

What Are The Prominent Uses of Laser Cutters?

Uses of Laser Cutters?

As mentioned earlier, there is a plethora of usage of laser cutters as they have several additional advantages. Not only is laser cutting capable of delivering great levels of precision and accuracy, but it is also consistent, leaving little room for uncertainty by humans.

All this leads to less wastage of materials and a low-cost alternative in certain industries. Here are the 4 most common uses of laser cutters:

1. Digital Fabrication

Laser cutters have built up a reputation among 3D printer hobbyists due to their amazing versatility. Some specific tools have laser-cut acrylic, which can be a huge help in 3D printing to make designs and blueprints according to one’s will.

Given that laser cutters are CNC machines, they are commonly used in conjunction with other digital manufacturing technologies to allow total creative flexibility.

2. Cutting Materials

Laser cutters may be utilized on a variety of sheet metals, including aluminum, stainless steel, mild steel, and titanium. Other materials such as wood, plastic, and paper are also possible. This way of cutting can also execute other types of complicated cutting methods like slitting, perforating, kiss-cutting, etc. 

The laser die-cutting is a prominent cutting technology that involves an intensive operation of totally removing and breaking apart a material from top to bottom. Everything must be pre-calculated using CNC controls.

3. Engraving Materials

Laser cutters can engrave materials such as bronze, brass, steel, and wood. This is a method of removing material from the top surface to a specific depth. By constantly altering the laser power, logos, serial numbers, textures, photographs, barcodes, text, and numbers can be engraved on materials by using laser cutters.

Many complex designs are made using CNC controls. Thanks to its precision, this application is one of the best ways to utilize a laser cutter.

Using laser cutters does not require inks or tooling that comes into touch with the engraving surface and ultimately wears out. Hence, this gives it a considerable advantage over other engraving or marking technologies that require the replacement of inks or tools regularly.

4. Material Ablation

This is a technique that virtually eliminates material from the surface from top to bottom.  This essentially implies shredding the whole contents of a substance with only the laser's power alone. This has a very important application in certain industries that require ablation.

Industries That Are Dependent On Laser Cutters

As mentioned previously, the advantages laser cutters have over other cutting methods make them ideal for a lot of industrial applications. In this section of the article, we will be giving a brief analysis of its usage.

1. Automotive

The automotive industry is all about fast production. Laser cutting allows for speedy replication of parts in a variety of shapes and sizes. These include plastic or metals cut into precise lengths and measurements for a vehicle's exterior and interior components.

2. Aerospace

The aerospace industry is heavy on utilizing aluminum for its suitable metallic properties. Hence, one of the best ways to cut and engrave on this high-demand material is obviously by laser cutters.

Engineers have been using Laser cutting for building aircraft for generations. As aerospace designs necessitate accuracy for the plane, pilot, and passengers' safety. There is no room for compromises and that’s where the perfect precision of laser cutters kicks in.

On the other hand, Laser cutting also lowers material waste. It also saves time and money.

3. Wooden Signs Design

Many corporate office plates/signs and tables have logos, barcodes, and serial numbers engraved in them. Even some expensive home décor made of wood has beautiful engravings on them. This is yet another application of laser cutters. These signs are for use in homes, offices, and restaurants.

Conclusion

That just about sums up all that we had to say about some of the uses of laser cutters. Hopefully, this will no longer be a lingering question in the minds of many the next time they worry about what laser cutters are used for.

If you want to get your hands on the best quality laser cutters available out in the market, then be sure to reach out

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