Laser Cutting on a Lamella Table

In an earlier article we discussed two types of table used in a laser cutting machine one of which was a lamella table. Here in this article we take a more detailed look at this type of cutting table.

A lamella cutting table is essentially a series of thin bars laid on edge onto which the material to be laser cut is placed. These bars can be manufactured from sacrificial material such as acrylic or more commonly they are made from anodised aluminium.

If made from aluminium the shape of the bar is critical to its effectiveness. A well designed lamella will be shaped like an arrow head with a slightly rounded tip, which is the point where the material comes in to contact with the bar. Such a shape will deflect any laser beam that passes through the material away from the underside thereby minimising or even eliminating any backward reflection.

This is particularly useful for transparent materials such as laser cut clear acrylic, heat sensitive materials such as laser cut mirrored acrylic or materials that contaminate very easily because of the high amount of debris they produce, such as laser cutting wood.

A well designed laser cutting machine with a lamella table will allow for reasonably thick and therefore heavy sheet materials to be placed upon it without any distortion.

The best machines incorporate a design where the lamellas are easily removable. This allows for the removal of bars that are not required, reducing the surface area that the material is held by to a bare minimum and thereby creating a total void beneath the material.

Well made lamellas will last for many years and unlike the alternative, more commonly found honeycomb table, lamella bars can be cleaned, will not distort and so are not a consumable item. Should the bars ever require replacement then they can be replaced just a few at a time for a negligible cost.

For processing sheet materials like laser cutting acrylic or laser cutting plywood a lamella cutting table will produce results that far surpass that of any other form of cutting 

When combined with a well specified laser fume extraction system, especially when extraction is from the underside of the material, cleaning of the laser cutting machine will be massively reduced in frequency.

At Lotus Laser Systems we manufacture a wide range laser, marking and engraving solutions with many types of cutting table. Our experts would be happy to advise you which configuration would suit your application best.