Guide covers laser cutting machines, materials

Laser Institute of America (LIA) has released the “LIA Guide to High Power Laser Cutting” for students, engineers, and scientists. Written by a team of specialists led by industry experts Dr. John Powell and Dr. Dirk Petring, this 136-page guide touches on all features of CO2 and fiber laser cutting, including basic principles, cutting speeds, and cut quality.

Highlights include physics of laser cutting, design and mechanics of a laser cutting machine, when to use fiber versus CO2 laser cutting machines, how different materials interact with laser cutting machines, practical advice for purchasing a laser cutting machine, and tables of laser cutting speeds for different materials.

The authors also explain the complex physical and chemical interactions that occur during laser-oxygen cutting and walk through the ways that the efficiency of laser cutting changes with the laser or material type, the power of the laser, and the thickness of the material.