8 Uses of Laser Cutting and Their Importance

20 May.,2024

 

8 Uses of Laser Cutting and Their Importance

Laser cutting has become an increasingly popular method for cutting materials such as metal, plastic, wood, and glass. A wide variety of industries, including automotive and medical device industries use laser cutting because it offers a high degree of accuracy and precision. Each of these industries has different requirements and uses laser cutting in different ways. The automotive industry, for example, utilizes laser cutting to create car parts and components. The medical device industry creates medical devices and implants with laser cutting. 

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The following article will discuss the eight laser-cutting uses and their importance:

1. Automotive Industry and Laser Cutting

The automotive industry has embraced the advantages offered by laser cutting to produce a range of components. Tolerances in the automotive industry are extremely tight, and laser cutting is a good way to meet these. Laser-cutting’s flexibility and capability to create complex shapes and designs make it a popular technology to produce car parts. In the past, car parts were created with stamping and die-cutting methods. However, these methods are not as accurate nor can they create complex shapes and designs like laser cutting. The type of laser cutter that is used in the automotive industry is a sheet metal laser cutter. Materials that are laser cut in the automotive industry include, but are not limited to, car parts, components, die-castings, forgings, and stampings.

2. Medical Device Industry and Laser Cutting

The medical device industry utilizes laser cutting to produce a variety of products including pacemakers, stents, and catheters. The laser beam melts, vaporizes, or burns away the material, leaving a clean, precise cut. Laser cutting is often used to create products with intricate designs, such as those intended for use within the human body. The type of laser cutting used will depend on the material being cut and the desired final product. For example, some medical devices are made from stainless steel, which can be cut with a CO2 laser. Other materials, such as plastics, can be cut with a fiber laser. 

3. Jewelry Industry and Laser Cutting

The jewelry industry is one of the most ancient industries in the world, with a long and rich history. In recent years, however, it has undergone a major transformation, thanks to the advent of laser-cutting technology. While traditional methods of jewelry making relied on manual labor and simple tools, laser cutting has allowed for a much more precise and intricate level of design. As a result, jewelry made with laser cutting is often more intricate than its traditional counterpart. Laser cutting in the jewelry industry is typically used to create detailed patterns and designs in metal, as well as to cut gemstones. It can also be used to engrave text or images onto jewelry pieces. Jewelry products that are commonly made with laser cutting include rings, pendants, earrings, and bracelets. The use of laser cutting in the jewelry industry has revolutionized the way that jewelry is made, and has allowed for a whole new level of creativity and design.

4. Ceramic Manufacturing and Laser Cutting

Ceramic manufacturing is the process of shaping and firing ceramic materials to create products. Ceramics can be made from clay, glass, metal, or synthetic materials. Laser cutting can be used in the ceramic manufacturing process to create precise shapes and designs in the material. This type of cutting is often used to create intricate patterns and decorative elements in products. Common examples of products made with laser cutting include tiles, pottery, and sculptures. The type of laser cutting employed in the ceramic industry is typically CO2 laser cutting, which uses a high-powered laser to cut through the material. This type of laser cutting is precise and can create very complex designs. CO2 laser cutting is also relatively fast, making it ideal for use in the ceramic manufacturing process.

5. Silicon Industry and Laser Cutting

When it comes to the silicon industry, laser cutting is a vital process. Silicon manufacturing refers to the production of silicon wafers—thin discs of semiconductor material that are used in the fabrication of various electronic devices. The type of laser cutting used in this industry is known as CO2 laser cutting. It is used to create the small-scale features found on silicon wafers. There are a variety of different products that are produced in the silicon industry, including integrated circuits, solar cells, and semiconductor chips. CO2 laser cutting is used to create intricate patterns on these products, which are then used in a variety of electronic devices.

6. Packaging Industry and Laser Cutting

Packaging refers to the process of enclosing products or items for protection and handling. Laser cutting is utilized in the packaging industry to create various packaging products, such as boxes, containers, and lids. The two main types of laser-cutting technology are used in this industry: fiber lasers and CO2 lasers. CO2 lasers are typically utilized to cut cardboard, paper, and thin plastics. Fiber lasers, on the other hand, are newer, more expensive, and typically used to cut thicker and harder packaging materials. 

7. Metalworking Industry and Laser Cutting

Metalworking is the process of shaping and forming metal into desired shapes using various tools. Laser cutting is often employed in the metalworking industry to cut metal into desired shapes. Some common products that are produced are: beams, columns, pipes, tubing, and sheet metal. These products can be used in a variety of industries, such as construction, automotive, and aerospace.

8. Woodworking Industry and Laser Cutting

The woodworking industry is a sector of the manufacturing industry that produces wood products. These products can be used for construction, furniture making, or other purposes. Laser-cutting technology is often utilized in this industry to create precise and intricate designs in wood. Some commonly produced items are: furniture, cabinets, and decorative items. The type of laser cutting used in the woodworking industry is typically a CO2 laser. This type of laser uses a beam of infrared light to cut through wood. The CO2 laser can create very complicated designs due to the high level of precision that it offers. Figure 1 is an example of laser cutting with wood:

Cutting tool (machining)

Hardened tool used to cut material from the workpiece

In the context of machining, a cutting tool or cutter is typically a hardened metal tool that is used to cut, shape, and remove material from a workpiece by means of machining tools as well as abrasive tools by way of shear deformation. The majority of these tools are designed exclusively for metals.

There are several different types of single-edge cutting tools that are made from a variety of hardened metal alloys that are ground to a specific shape in order to perform a specific part of the turning process resulting in a finished machined part. Single-edge cutting tools are used mainly in the turning operations performed by a lathe in which they vary in size as well as alloy composition depending on the size and the type of material being turned. These cutting tools are held stationary by what is known as a tool post, which is what manipulates the tools to cut the material into the desired shape. Single-edge cutting tools are also the means of cutting material performed by shaping machines and planing machines, which remove material by means of one cutting edge.

Milling and drilling tools are often multipoint tools. Drilling is exclusively used to make holes in a workpiece. All drill bits have two cutting edges that are ground into two equally tapered angles which cuts through the material by applying downward rotational force. Endmills or milling bits, which also cut material by rotational force. Although these tools are not made to put holes in a workpiece. They cut by horizontal shear deformation in which the workpiece is brought into the tool as it's rotating. This is known as the tool path which is determined by the axis of the table that is holding the workpiece in place. This table is designed to accept a variety of vises and clamping tools so that it can move into the cutter at various angles and directions while the workpiece remains still. There are several different types of endmills that perform a certain type of milling action.

Grinding stones are tools that contain several different cutting edges which encompasses the entirety of the stone. Unlike metallic cutting tools, these grinding stones never go dull. In fact the formation of cutting edges of metallic cutting tools are achieved by the use of grinding wheels and other hard abrasives. There are several different types of grinding stone wheels that are used to grind several different types of metals. Although these stones are not metal, they need to be harder than the metal that they grind. In contrast to the grinding stone, if the hardness of the metal exceeds that of the stone, the metal will cut the stone. This is not ideal. [1] Each grain of abrasive functions as a microscopic single-point cutting edge (although of high negative rake angle), and shears a tiny chip.

Cutting tool materials must be harder than the material which is to be cut, and the tool must be able to withstand the heat and force generated in the metal-cutting process. Also, the tool must have a specific geometry, with clearance angles designed so that the cutting edge can contact the workpiece without the rest of the tool dragging on the workpiece surface. The angle of the cutting face is also important, as is the flute width, number of flutes or teeth, and margin size. In order to have a long working life, all of the above must be optimized, plus the speeds and feeds at which the tool is run.

Types

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Linear cutting tools include tool bits (single-point cutting tools) and broaches. Rotary cutting tools include drill bits, countersinks and counterbores, taps and dies, reamers, and cold saw blades. Other cutting tools, such as bandsaw blades, hacksaw blades, and fly cutters, combine aspects of linear and rotary motion

Cutting tools are often designed with inserts or replaceable tips (tipped tools). In these, the cutting edge consists of a separate piece of material, either brazed, welded or clamped on to the tool body. Common materials for tips include cemented carbide, polycrystalline diamond, and cubic boron nitride.[2] Tools using inserts include milling cutters (endmills, fly cutters), tool bits, and saw blades.

Holder

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Tool setup

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The detailed instructions of how to combine the tool assembly out of basic holder, tool and insert can be stored in a tool management solution.

Cutting edge

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The cutting edge of a cutting tool is a very important for the performance of the cutting process. The main features of the cutting edge are:

  • form of the cutting edge: radius or waterfall or trumpet (reverse waterfall)
  • cutting edge angles
  • form and size of the chamfers

The measurement of the cutting edge is performed using a tactile instrument or an instrument using focus variation. To quantify a cutting edge the following parameters are used:

  • cutting edge radius for symmetric edges
  • cutting edge ellipse axis for asymmetric edges
  • factor K, this is the relation between Sγ and Sα. This can also be calculated by the ratio of the two axis of the ellipse. This factor describes the form of the cutting edge.
  • 3 angles: clearance angle, wedge angle, rake (chipping) angle
  • Δr
  • length and orientation of the bevel
Cutting edge profile with parameters

One of the most important cutting edge parameters is the K factor. It specifies the form of the cutting edge. 1 means a symmetric cutting edge. If the value is smaller than 1 the form is called a waterfall. If the value is larger than 1 it is called a trumpet. Depending on the material being cut, feed rate and other factors, a cutting tool with the optimum K factor should be used.

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