Beam Delivery For A Laser Cutting Machine

For the majority of laser cutting applications the material is in a sheet format.

The advantage of the plotter mechanism when used as a laser cutter is that the beam can be delivered with a consistent power and minimal variation in focal point over a relatively large area.

When the CO2 laser power is <100w the types of material that are processed are usually non metals; materials such as acrylic, card, wood, textiles, etc. These materials are most efficiently processed at the 1000x600mm size, which provides for minimal material wastage, maximum efficiency of fume extraction and part loading/unloading.

Sectors that would benefit from using this type of machine are architects for model making, sign companies and point of sale fabricators to name but a few.

In recent years there has been a big increase in the number of educational facilities such as schools, Universities, etc who buy a laser cutter for schools to assist with Design & Technology subjects.

This type of machine is available in a range of laser powers typically from 25-100w. Higher powered lasers will deliver faster cutting speeds and often a superior edge quality but will also cost more to purchase as well as more to maintain/own over time.

This type of machine will typically be fitted with a plano-convex lens delivering a short focal length, such as 2.5” for example. The short focal length should be combined with a nosecone to deliver an air assist close to the material for increasing edge quality and minimising lens contamination.

An often overlooked part of the machine is the software. Most machines in this format are designed for laser engraving, which often is the least efficient way to use such a machine. Therefore, the software tends to be designed for the engraving process. This can be significantly limiting when using the laser as a cutting tool.

A good laser cutter will use software similar to that of a CNC router and have optimising features to minimise wasteful motion control movements as well as improving the output quality of the part that has been cut.

At Lotus Laser Systems we manufacture a wide range of plotters systems for laser cutting and our experts would be happy to advise you which configuration would suit your application best.