Laser Cutting and Welding Machines Specifications

Help with Laser Cutting and Welding Machines specifications:

Materials & Processes

	Process / Operation:
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	Laser Welding		Laser welding uses an intense energy beam as its heat source.  Laser welding is accomplished at very high speeds with low heat generation and little or no distortion. Since filler materials are not required, laser welds are less bulky and more precise. Laser welds are also very repeatable because they eliminate human error. Physical materials such as electrodes or contacts are not needed in order to apply heat to the part. With their well-defined beams, lasers are excellent tools for welding thin materials, creating hermetic welds, or for use in close proximity to heat-sensitive components. Even hard to reach areas can be laser welded if a line of sight exists. All materials commonly welded by conventional means can be easily laser welded. In addition, difficult to join materials such as high carbon stainless steels and titanium may be successfully laser welded. Lasers are also used to weld dissimilar materials that may otherwise be incompatible.
	Laser Cutting		Laser cutting vaporizes material in a very small, well-defined area and is commonly used to produce two-dimensional (2D) patterns or parts from sheet metal, wood panels, plastic films, textiles, and other flat sheet materials. Laser beams are a single-point cutting source with a very small point, 0.001" to 0.020" or 0.025 mm to 0.5 mm, which allows very small cut-widths. Laser scoring is a process where the cut is made through only a portion of the material. Compared to conventional cutting methods, laser cutting provides many advantages, including: There is no limit to the cutting path. The point can move in any direction, unlike other rotary cutting processes that use knives, bits or saws. Laser cutting does not apply mechanical force to parts. Very soft, fragile, gummy or flimsy parts and flexible webs can be laser cut with no support. By contrast, conventional cutters may damage or shred the workpiece and/or gum or load up the tool.  Laser beams always remain sharp and can cut very hard or abrasive materials. Lasers can cut at very high speeds, making them useful for high-speed web slitting operations. Note that laser power limits the actual cutting speed. Lasers provide good control of the depth of cut for scoring or kiss cutting applications.
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	Materials Processed:
	Your choices are...
	Metal / Conductive Materials		Lasers can mark or cut metals or conductive materials.
	Plastics / Non-conductive		Lasers can mark or cut plastic, glass, ceramics, composites, or other non-conductive materials.
	Semiconductors / Electronics		Lasers can mark, trim, or cut IC chips, printed circuit boards (PCBs), dies, or semiconductor wafers.
	Soft / Fibrous (Textiles, Foams, Paper)		Laser machines or heads can cut, mark, or process soft, fragile, gummy, or fibrous materials such as flexible textiles, foams, paper, food products, composites, or non-woven cloth. Other cutting methods (knifes, rotary cutters, saws) may damage or shred soft or fibrous materials during a converting process.
	Tissue / Medical		Medical or surgical systems can mark or cut tissue, or provide other medical applications.
	Other		Other unlisted, proprietary or specialized options or components.
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Speed & Capacity Specifications

	Thickness Capacity		The thickness capacity is the maximum thickness of metal sheet or web material that can be processed.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.
	Cutting / Traverse Speed		The cutting or traverse speed is the linear speed for cutting, marking, welding or other processing. The speed indicates the movement of the beam across the workpiece. The beam may traverse through movement of a table, movement of the laser head, or scanning of the beam.
	Search Logic:		User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria.
	X-axis Travel / Length Capacity		The X-axis travel or length capacity is the maximum length of travel along the table's X-axis; the maximum internal part length that can be machined with the table, station or system; or the internal size or length capacity of the cabinet, room, or enclosure.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.
	Y-axis Travel / Width Capacity:		The Y-axis travel or length capacity is the maximum length of travel along the table's Y-axis; the maximum internal part length that can be machined with the table, station or system; or the internal size or length capacity of the cabinet, room, or enclosure.
	Search Logic:		All matching products will have a value greater than or equal to the specified value.
	Z-axis / Vertical Travel:		The Z-axis travel or length capacity is the maximum length of travel along the table's Z-axis; the maximum internal part length that can be machined with the table, station or system; or the internal size or length capacity of the cabinet, room, or enclosure.
	Search Logic:		User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria.

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Laser Specifications

	Laser Output Power		The laser output power is the total or maximum power output or rating of the laser or lasing component used in the laser machining system or head.
	Search Logic:		User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria.
	Laser Type:
	Your choices are...
	CO2		Laser cutting machines and components use CO2 lasers.  Carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers use the energy-state passage between vibrational and rotational states of CO2 molecules to give out a long infrared (IR) between 9 and 11µm wavelengths. CO2 lasers are able to maintain a consecutive high level of power and are also some of the most versatile lasers for processing applications. The active medium in a carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers consists of a mixture of carbon dioxide (9.5%), nitrogen (13.5), and helium (77%).
	Nd:YAG / Solid State		Laser cutting machines and components use solid state lasers such as Nd:YAG or Nd:VO4.  Solid state lasers use a transparent substance (crystalline or glass) as the active medium, doped to provide the energy states necessary for lasing.  Solid state lasers are used in both low and high power applications.
	Diode		Diode lasers (laser diodes) use nearly microscopic chips of gallium arsenide or other exotic semiconductors to generate coherent light in a very small package. The energy level differences between the conduction and valence band electrons in these semiconductors are what provide the mechanism for laser action. Common features to consider for diode lasers include fiber pigtailed and array configuration.  A laser diode can have an optical fiber pigtail precisely aligned and attached for optimum coupling efficiency.  In an array laser diodes are packaged as multiples.  Laser diode arrays will contain a certain number of elements (diodes)
	Fiber Laser		Fiber lasers use optical fibers doped with low levels of rare-earth halides as the lasing medium to amplify light. Fiber lasers are constructed within an optical fiber and are similar in concept to gas lasers and laser diodes, except that a part of the fiber itself is used as the resonating cavity where the laser action takes place. A fiber laser use fiber optics to generate and deliver laser beams instead of the traditional hard optic resonator and beam delivery method. This helps eliminate many alignment, thermal, contamination, and maintenance issues. Laser and fiber optics are a system of lasers and flexible quartz or glass fibers that use total internal reflection (TIR) to pass light through thousands of glancing (total internal) reflections.
	Other		Other unlisted, proprietary or specialty laser types.
	Search Logic:		All products with ANY of the selected attributes will be returned as matches. Leaving all boxes unchecked will not limit the search criteria for this question; products with all attribute options will be returned as matches.
	Pulsed / Q-switched?		Q-switches produce the effect of a shutter moving rapidly in and out of the beam to “spoil” the resonator’s normal Q, keeping it low to prevent lasing action until a high level of energy is stored. Q is the energy-storing efficiency of a laser resonator. When normal Q is restored, a large pulse of power is produced.
	Search Logic:		"Required" and "Must Not Have" criteria limit returned matches as specified. Products with optional attributes will be returned for either choice.

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Control / Form Factor

	Automation / Control:
	Your choices are...
	CNC Control		Laser machines can use a CNC controller to operate automatically, or with little or no operator intervention. These machines change or adjust travel position, speed, laser power, air or gas flow, beam delivery factors and other parameters in a pre-programmed manner. Finishing or grinding machine or system automatically load parts into system and then operates without operator intervention. The machine changes or adjusts abrasive media and other parameters such as speed, applied load or coolant/lubricant flow rate in a pre-programmed manner.
	Windows / PC Control		Laser machines can be controlled or programmed through a Microsoft® Windows® or personal computer (PC) interface. These machines change or adjust travel position, speed, laser power, air or gas flow, beam delivery factors, and other parameters in a pre-programmed manner. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
	Manual Workstation		Manual workstations use an operator or function semi-automatically to control laser machines. Semi-automatic equipment must be loaded and setup by an operator. These machines then laser process parts or prototypes with little or no operator intervention.
	Other		Other unlisted, proprietary or specialty method for automation or control of the laser processing operations.
	Search Logic:		Products with the selected attribute will be returned as matches. Leaving or selecting "No Preference" will not limit the search criteria for this question; products with all attribute options will be returned as matches.
	Form Factor
	Your choices are...
	Handheld		Devices are light enough to be held in the hand and applied to the object being marked.
	Benchtop		Bench or pedestal units are smaller machines that are used commonly in industry settings.
	Work Station		Devices are floor mounted and designed to be used in one location. They are not portable.
	Specialty/Other		Specialty or other laser marking unit type.
	Search Logic:		All products with ANY of the selected attributes will be returned as matches. Leaving all boxes unchecked will not limit the search criteria for this question; products with all attribute options will be returned as matches.

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