The Inside Look at Laser Cutting

Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to cut precise patterns in most all types of materials such as metal, plastic and paper. Laser cutters are used in a large variety of industrial applications and are the number one industrial use of high power lasers. With its increased flexibility, high level of accuracy and high quality cut, laser cutting is replacing conventional machining processes such as plasma and oxy-fuel cutting

Example of a laser cutting system developed by Control Micro Systems.

There are two types of lasers used for cutting; the gaseous CO2 laser and the solid-state Nd:YAG laser.Co2 lasers work by “pumping” the atoms of the gaseous mixture into an excited state within the laser’s chamber. Once the gas is pumped, it contains a collection of atoms with some electrons sitting in the excited state. The excited electrons rid some of their energy by emitting photons or light energy. The state of the electron’s energy when the photon is released is the determining factor of the wavelength (color) of the emitted photon. The light energy is amplified by being reflected back and forth multiple times within the laser’s chamber. A laser cutter uses mostly a thermal process in which the light emerges from the laser’s aperture and the beam is focused by a lens on to the surface of the material being cut. The laser beam either melts, burns or vaporizes the material in a localized area. Gas assisted laser cutters use a jet of gas coaxial with the laser beam to eject the molten material from the cut. This leaves an edge with a high quality finish.

Battery dielectric cut from paper.

Typical laser cutters cut as small as 1 mm in size and specialized lasers can cut even smaller. Most industrial lasers can either cut with a pulse or cut with a continuous wave (CW). A pulsed laser outputs a high power burst of energy for a short time. This is useful for cutting very small holes, piercing the material to start a cut in the interior, or for cutting material that may all melt if a constant laser beam was used.

Industrial laser cutting systems can be implemented in batch manufacturing but also lend themselves very well to automation controlled by computer software in a production line system. Some of the benefits of using a laser cutter over other means of cutting include: the flexibility and precision cutting of simple or complex parts; a non contact cut which means no marks or contamination of the material; a high quality cut with no extra finishing required; and the ability to cut virtually any material.

For more information on laser cutting systems and other industrial laser systems, visit Control Micro Systems corporate site.

Beer Keg Theft or Not?

Whose idea was it to put paper serial numbers on beer kegs? That’s as crazy as putting a sticker serial number on the bottom of my steamvac. Sooner or later it is going to become unreadable or come off. I guess in the past there hasn’t been that many good alternatives. With the increasing cost of stainless steel, beer kegs are a sizeable investment for companies and they need a better way to track and discourage theft of their kegs.

Laser system for marking beer kegs

Today, with technology in the forefront, CMS has made it possible for companies to track their beer kegs with the use of a laser marking system to mark their kegs with 2D matrix codes. The 2D data matrix code was selected because it can store a large amount of information in a small area and is readable in low contrast conditions. The outstanding error checking algorithms of the 2D code allow it to be read successfully even if over 25% of the code has been damaged.

CMS chose to use a Ytterbium fiber laser for this marking system because it is a “0” maintenance device and can quickly and permanently mark the 2D matrix code on the surface of the keg without compromising the strength of the pressurized keg. They have also included a combination barcode/2D matrix code reader to scan preexisting barcodes and to verify the newly engraved 2D matrix symbol.

 

Wire Marking, Stripping, and Cutting Made Easy

Laser wire marking, stripping & cutting system

CMS has developed a laser system that can mark, strip, and cut multiple gauge wire and cable in one fully automatic, high speed, computer controlled operation. This laser wire processing system can produce a permanent, high contrast surface mark without any damage to the wire insulation. Virtually any character, font, or symbol can be applied without masking either vertically or horizontally at over 80 inches/second.

Using a laser to strip wire ensures that the conductor is left undamaged. Even shielded twisted pair wire can be stripped without damage to the shield. There are various stripping modes available to ensure the slugs remain on the wire strands. Wire stripping lengths can vary anywhere from 0 up to 4 inches with +/- 0.30 inches accuracy.

This system performs straight perpendicular cuts on wire lengths that range for 1.5 inches up to 30 feet. Length accuracy is within +/- 0.200 inches at wire lengths of 240 inches.

The CMS laser wire marking, stripping, and cutting system is designed for ease of use, increased productivity and reduced labor costs. It is a reliable, clean, high speed, low maintenance alternative to other methods of marking, stripping, and cutting wire.