Abstract
Laser cutting is one of the most widely used laser
processes. It has great advantages in comparison to other
thermal and mechanical cutting processes. Laser cutting
made manufacturing of new type of products possible e.g.
in case of parts requiring 3D cutting. The development of
new lasers has brought new opportunities to be carried
out with laser cutting. The major advantage to use
optical fiber in beam transportation gives new
opportunities for use of laser cutting. The new
generation of lasers utilizing fiber optical beam
delivery can widen ever more the application of 3D
cutting. This study concentrates on cutting of carbon
steel with a high power fiber laser. The laser used in
experiments was with 100 µm optical fiber. The power used
was in maximum 3 kW and the material thickness tested was
between 3 and 10 mm. The focusing of the laser beam must
be changed towards longer focal lengths with increase in
material thickness. The same tendency is also with the
cutting speed, which is decreased with increase in
material thickness. When the cutting speed is concerned,
fiber laser can compete very well with CO2 laser. The
quality achieved with fiber laser can in best cases
compete with the equivalent quality of CO2 laser showing
considerable improvement to other laser using optical
fiber for beam transportation. (2 refs.)
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Proceedings |
Subtitle of host publication | 27th International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics, ICALEO 2008 |
Publisher | Laser Institute of America |
Pages | 656-663 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-0-9120-3512-3 |
Publication status | Published - 2008 |
MoE publication type | A4 Article in a conference publication |
Event | 27th International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics, ICALEO 2008 - Temecula, CA, United States Duration: 20 Oct 2008 → 23 Oct 2008 |
Conference
Conference | 27th International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics, ICALEO 2008 |
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Abbreviated title | ICALEO 2008 |
Country | United States |
City | Temecula, CA |
Period | 20/10/08 → 23/10/08 |