Metal Fabricating Glossary

laser cutting

 noun

Definitions

1. The use of a highly concentrated beam of light to generate enough heat to pierce and cut. Based on the principle of light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, laser machines generate waves of light that are consistent in phase, frequency, and direction of travel; the light is described as being correlated, coherent, and collimated. Although the metals industry initially relied on carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers, fiberoptic lasers began to gain ground in the middle of the 2000s decade.

External Resources

Wikipedia: laser cutting

Internal Resources

Laser cutting at FABTECH: Not just about inches-per-minute

FABTECH 2021 a showplace for pandemic’s lasting effects on manufacturing

If you have any comments or questions about the glossary, please contact Dan Davis, editor-in-chief of The Fabricator.