How a CO2 Laser Machine Engraves and Engraves
The CO2 laser machine produces extremely powerful light that can cut a variety of materials. It uses mirrors bookending a tube of gases to intensify and direct the beam.
An electric discharge energizes nitrogen gas molecules, pumping electrons up to their excited state. This creates a population inversion state that emits a laser beam.
Cutting
The CO2 Laser Machine is a smart cutting tool used to engrave graphics and cut shapes & contours on various materials like wood, MDF, plywood, chipboard, acrylic, fabric, stone, leather, thin metals and many more. This automated device uses a glass laser tube with a partially reflective mirror at one end and a fully reflective mirror at the other to intensify the light beam into a spot which is then directed through a focus lens onto the workpiece.
Once the laser is focused on a substrate it releases energy which causes it to heat up and evaporate the material leaving a clean edge. For thicker plate materials it is necessary to use a protective window which allows the operator to see hifu machine supplier the work area without being exposed to the laser beam. The protective windows are usually made from a transparent plastic, but can be made out of almost any material including glass.
Depending on the material being cut, the laser can also be used for marking which is different to cutting as it doesn’t melt or remove any part of the substrate but instead changes the surface. This is often done on metals to add text or symbols to parts for identification. For this process the metal is usually treated with a special marker which reacts with the laser beam to create a mark or graphic.
Engraving
Engraving with a CO2 Laser Machine is a simple process that is used for creating unique logos and designs. Whether you are looking to etch a business name into a piece of metal or create a design on a glass bottle, a CO2 Laser Machine can produce incredible results quickly and easily. The main component of any laser cutting or engraving machine is a glass laser tube. This is a sealed off glass tube that contains the GG17 material, and it has a water cooling jacket, a gas storage sleeve and an air return pipe.
The laser tube emits infrared light that is absorbed by the working material. The light is then focused by a lens to a very small spot on the material, where it vaporises the surface to leave an etched or cut design. This is much quicker than cutting or engraving with a tool by hand, and it leaves an extremely accurate finish.
CO2 Laser machines can engrave most non-metal materials, such as wood, MDF, plywood, acrylic (all colors), leather, paper, cardboard, and fabric. They can also cut some metals, such as copper. However, there are certain types of metal that cannot be cut or engraved with a laser, including any type of chromium metal.
While there are many benefits of using a CO2 Laser Cutter, there are some important things to remember when choosing a model for your business. It is a good idea to test the machine with your materials before purchasing, and make sure that you are comfortable with how it works.
Marking
For marking, the laser simply alters diode hair removal laser machine the surface of an object without melting it. This can include things like etching, or printing numbers and letters on products. It can also be used to mark dates and codes on materials like paper, resin, glass, and plastics.
When using a CO2 laser for marking metals, it is important to make sure that the beam can be safely directed onto the material. This is because some metals are highly reflective, and if the laser reflects back into the machine, it could cause damage and be costly to repair.
In order to avoid this, a CO2 laser machine uses a reflective shield to reflect the light back into the machine’s resonator and power supply. The reflected light is then purified with an inert gas before being refocused through a series of lenses and emitting the laser beam.
In this way, the CO2 laser marker can effectively mark metals and non-metallics. However, if you plan to use it to mark metals, it is best to look into a fiber laser instead as this will provide better results. With a fiber laser, you can achieve higher speeds and three to four times the throughput of a CO2 laser machine. This means that you can produce more work in the same time, saving both production costs and overtime.
3D Objects
The CO2 Laser Machine can create incredible 3D stacked objects. The process is simple and requires very little skill, a few basic tools and a few pieces of acrylic sheet. The machine works by incrementally adding sheets of acrylic, one at a time, into the cutter and lasering each piece to make a weld. To release a side of the weld, LaserStacker creates another cut in very close proximity, which defocuses the laser and melts the material, effectively “healing” the previous weld.
The rotary attachment is a must-have accessory for your CO2 laser machine because it allows you to create curved engravings. When you attach the rotary and enable it in your software, it overrides the gantry system’s X and Y axis and rotates the workpiece around its vertical axis. This allows the laser to engrave on curved surfaces, such as curved frames and boxes.
Most people don’t realize that a top quality laser cutter can do much more than simply cutting through material. It can also mark materials with tiny surface burns that are so detailed and precise that they can recreate images. This is especially useful for things like creating custom greeting cards, crafts, shadow boxes, and other projects that use photographic images.