Laser Cutting
Canunda speeds up the laser-cutting process
Laser cutting consists of slicing through a material along a specific path. There are two main methods of laser cutting:
- Cutting by continuous-wave high-power (multi-kW) laser: this typically involves cutting aluminum or steel plates of thicknesses ranging from one millimeter to several tens of millimeters on large parts ranging from one centimeter to several meters. CO2 or solid-state fiber lasers are generally used for this process. Laser heads are often required to focus the laser energy onto the workpiece. This cutting process is used in the automotive and aeronautics industries.
- Cutting by ultrashort pulsed laser: this involves cutting smaller parts of around a centimeter in size from all types of material (metals, ceramics, etc.), with extreme precision (in the micrometer range). This micro-cutting process is usually performed by ultrashort (typically femtosecond) lasers. This laser process is athermal. The material is sublimated using ultra-high peak power pulses. This process is often performed using machines with a high-speed scanner and an F-theta lens, allowing fairly large parts to be cut at acceptable speeds. This cutting process can be used in watchmaking and for manufacturing OLED screens.
Whether cutting with continuous-wave high-power lasers or pulsed lasers, the main challenge is to improve output by increasing cutting speeds and reducing the number of poor quality parts produced.
With our CANUNDA product line, we offer:
- Faster continuous-wave, high-power laser cutting processes with CANUNDA-HP The power output of continuous-wave lasers makes it possible to cut thicker sheets. However this is done at the expense of cutting speed, which is limited by the absorption of the material. The speed can be improved by depositing energy in an optimal manner, for example, by asymmetrical beam shaping using MPLC technology. CANUNDA-HP products can also be easily integrated into laser cutting heads.
- Faster cutting processes using ultrashort pulsed lasers with CANUNDA-SPLIT. The power provided by the latest generation of ultrashort lasers is greater than the energy required to perform good quality athermal cutting processes. The power of these lasers can be optimized by splitting the laser beam to cut several parts at the same time. CANUNDA-SPLIT products can also be easily integrated into micromachining equipment.
- Improved cutting process quality using ultrashort pulsed lasers with CANUNDA-PULSE. CANUNDA-PULSE enables the shaping of an ultra narrow top-hat beam in the machining plane (ranging from one to a few tens of micrometers) with particularly narrow transition zones (up to 17 times narrower than a traditional Gaussian beam) in order to provide high-speed taper-free drilling. CANUNDA-PULSE products can be easily integrated into micromachining equipment.
For more information:
- See the results of our collaboration on continuous-wave high-power laser cutting as part of the European project CUSTODIAN, in particular with PRECITEC
- Watch our webinars on this topic:
- Webinar custodian : Industrial laser solutions
- Webinar co-presented by Alphanov, Lasea and Cailabs : Micro-processing yield improvement with MPLC-based beam shaping
- Webinar organized by Photonics Media : Beam Shaping: The Next Step for Ultrashort-Pulse-Laser-Based Processes
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