co2 laser cutting limits

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co2 laser cutting limits

Postby roby101 » Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:46 pm

Hello.
There are many laser tubes out there to choose from.
Can anyone tell me if a 40W tube has enough power to cut through 1/4" (6mm) plywood?

In order to cut wood, is it possible to pass over the same line or spot more than once without setting it on fire or ruining it?

Tks for any help.

Roby
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Re: co2 laser cutting limits

Postby sshwarts » Thu Mar 05, 2015 12:12 pm

Roby:
No one else had answered your inquiry, so I thought I'd jump in. I've never cut 1/4" plywood with my 40W but I see other threads that talk about it. For example: http://www.buildlog.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=429

You can make multiple passes for sure but bear in mind that the focus of the laser is a bit of a "V" so the edges of the cut can be effected. May not matter for your intended use. You'll want air assist for sure.

Scott
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Re: co2 laser cutting limits

Postby roby101 » Sat Mar 07, 2015 12:03 pm

Scott
Thanks for the reply and link.
It looks as if people get different results with similar machines. I can only presume this is due to other factors, like the quality/make of the tube, the quality of the mirrors, the overall construction precision and the shorter or longer focus point.
Unless someone is willing to suggest other reasons... :-)
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Re: co2 laser cutting limits

Postby Techbuilder » Mon Mar 09, 2015 7:42 am

roby101 wrote:Scott
Thanks for the reply and link.
It looks as if people get different results with similar machines. I can only presume this is due to other factors, like the quality/make of the tube, the quality of the mirrors, the overall construction precision and the shorter or longer focus point.
Unless someone is willing to suggest other reasons... :-)


Your semi correct but it's mostly due to the glue in the plywood and the more ply you have the more glue in between lasers so less ply and depending on the wood (sap in wood) itself will cause different results. A lot of people have success with birch plywood but success is dependent of the supplier.
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Re: co2 laser cutting limits

Postby lasercnc3dprinter » Mon Apr 06, 2015 9:13 am

In my opinion,it is not a certain answer.Tube brand and peak power is quite important.What's more,when you want to cut something,that not means you wish a random effect.40W is not a high enough power.Even you cut it off this time,what about next time?
Stable output is what a machine should to do.So suggest 80w as a regular choice.
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