A laser cnc machine is a special equipment based on the stable high-temperature beam generation. The latter falls on the processed surface in the form of a small-sized light spot, with a significant energy being concentrated in it.
Within this spot, the processed material is engraved by burning. Depending on the settings specified before work, it forms a through-cut (laser cutting) or removes the workpiece’s top layer only. You can buy it on Wattsan.
There are two basic principles of transporting and forming the beam used in cnc cutters:
- СО2 lasers – make it possible to process all types of materials (used mainly for wood), but for metals.
However, some of them can also be processed subject to using a special thermal paste.
- Fiber-optic – these are designed to work specially with metals.
Engraving natural stone and glass is possible as well. Can cut double-sided plastic. At the Lasercut company, you can always choose and buy reliable and fail-safe machines.
1. How to choose a cutter for home
Not to later regret buying a wrong laser cutting device for wood, a customer should have a primary idea of the characteristics to be primarily assessed when choosing the equipment.
First, you should have a clear idea of what tasks you buy the machine for – the type, amount, and material of the intended products. The required working surface size and the necessary configuration of the purchased equipment depends on the answer to this question. Be sure to consider characteristics of the room where you plan to install a laser cutting machine for wood. An important issue is an appropriate estimation of your financial resources.
Below, you will find brief basic criteria that are worth paying due attention to when choosing the equipment.
Tasks
It determines a kind of the equipment that suits you best – a cutter, an engraving machine, a full-scale CNC machine. You should also consider a business category, for whose purposes the laser cutting machine for wood will be used (production volumes, workpiece sizes, etc.).
Materials
Most of the materials supplied to the market, which the laser cutter allows you to work with, are available in standard size ranges (for example: monolithic polycarbonate, in 2,050*3,050 mm sheets; multilayer plywood, 1,525*1,525 mm). Given this, the required working surface parameters should be chosen.
Working surface dimensions
The geometry of this structural element is determined by the ranges peculiar to the group the machine belongs to:
- The maximum working surface of a desktop version doesn’t exceed 600*400 millimeters. This is the size of a workpiece you can place here for wood processing.
This is a perfect solution for a garage or a small workshop. Despite its moderate dimensions, this is a full-fledged equipment that enables to perform laser cutting and produce items on an industrial scale.
- Medium-format – the working surface is available in a range of options (600*900) – (1,600*1,000) millimeters.
The most demanded models on the market. Suit both private workshops and large-scale production.
- A large-format cutting machine for wood can have a table reaching up to 2,000*3,000 millimeters in size.
They are used to manufacture large-sized products or organize production of large volumes of the same type of items.
The lowering depth of the table
This characteristic directly determines the workpiece thickness (for example, for wood processing), which can be processed on a particular machine. There are models with a fixed height. When the equipment is intended for work with flat workpieces only, this function can be omitted.
The adjustment can be automatic or manual. The first option is preferable for those who process materials of different thicknesses.
When buying machines with adjustable depth, discard the belt drive models. They stretch over time and have a tooth that can be easily cut off, resulting in hanging of one of the table sides. The chain drive is preferable.
Types of the table structural designs
Manufacturers offer the following types of the tables:
- lamellar – a standard structure (easy to clean). Optimum solution for wood processing, however not suitable for working with fabrics and fine details (especially for cardboard, paper);
- honeycomb – quite a solid base that allows laser cutting of elements of any size. Thin workpieces don’t sag on it. The best solution for fabrics and paper;
- conveyor – demanded for working with rolled materials.
Configuration
The main structural elements of the cutting machine for working with a variety of materials (for wood, for example) are:
- body;
- laser tube;
- ignition unit;
- control system;
- guide rails;
- portal;
- belt fasteners;
- engines;
- end sensors;
- chiller;
- garbage tray.
Please consult with our manager on each of the above-listed issues. He will help to choose the machine configuration optimal for your tasks.
2. Maintenance and support
The Lasercut company provides a full range of maintenance and technical support to the owners of a laser cutter of any model. The following service range is available to our customers.
Pre-commissioning activities and commissioning
For even a high-quality and reliable machine for wood to be able to fully perform all its functions, it requires proper installation and a set of pre-commissioning activities provided by the manufacturer.
Our specialists perform all stages of the above-mentioned activities. They may differ depending on a particular model. But anyway, they necessarily include the following range of operations:
- the pre-commissioning stage, when our employees get acquainted with the equipment designed for wood processing, study its basic settings, check the machine integrity, and its configuration;
- install the equipment in compliance with the manufacturer’s requirements (by level, without any free play, with grounding and proper power supply);
- configure the control system (and software, if necessary);
- check the electronic elements operation;
- control operation of the machine mechanical elements in the test mode;
- connect the existing security systems (stabilizers, cooling, and others);
- test the equipment (for example, laser cutting).
Diagnostics of the laser cutter. Its alignment and adjustment
By detecting and fixing troubles in time, you extend the machine service life, increase safety of the operators work, boost its processing speed and product quality.
Repair of S&A chillers
These are the elements that prolong the life of solid-state emitters and laser tubes by maintaining the optimal temperature range. When it is critically exceeded, this device disables the laser installation for wood processing. The chiller ensures uninterrupted and secure operation of the most expensive and fragile machine devices.
Repair of the branded equipment
We are ready to perform repair of any complexity. Besides, it is available not only in our permanent centers, but with a team visiting your locality as well.
Training of personnel who will operate the purchased equipment
Our service department has developed a training program for operators of laser cutters (depending on the available equipment type, the preparedness level of the customer’s representatives).
3. Dimensions and power
The laser equipment (working surface) dimensions are an important factor determining the technical capabilities of laser cutting. That is why you should choose the machine geometry with the planned workpiece dimensions and the upcoming production volumes in mind.
According to the work desk surface of a particular model, all laser cutters are divided into three groups:
- desktop (the smallest versions). May be equipped with tables, whose size ranges between (200-300) – (400-600) millimeters.
Commonly, the power of such models doesn’t exceed 40 W. However, these parameters are more than enough to ensure a high-quality solution to a wide range of tasks, including the ones for wood. The owner of such a machine can organize manufacturing of small batches of souvenirs, production of toys, jewelry, and other items made of a variety of raw materials – from paper to plexiglass and genuine leather. Are perfect for making stamps and seals.
- Medium – their tables are much larger, (600-900) – (900-1600) millimeters.
The laser tubes they are equipped with are more powerful (up to 90 W), which makes it possible to launch small-scale and even medium-scale production. These products are in the highest demand on the market, especially by small and medium-scale businesses.
- Large equipment – tables are between (1,200-2,000) – (2,000-3,000) millimeters.
These are extremely powerful machines used in the industries working with large-sized workpieces and significant product volumes. Such size of tables allows to lay such materials as standard sheets of multilayer plywood. Therefore, they are primarily used in woodworking and furniture industries. This group of laser cutters are often used when processing a variety of rolled materials (vinyl film, fabrics).
4. Operating principle
The workpiece is processed with a laser beam. The latter is coherent narrow forced and monochrome radiation, generated in active media by external influence of energy nature. The latter can be chemical, optical, electrical, or other.
The process is based on the physical ability of certain substances to emit photons with the required wavelength, resulting from collision of an atom with a coherent photon. The latter isn’t absorbed in the process. It generates excessive photons, which act as the laser beam carriers.
In simple words, a laser beam generation process is as follows: the active medium is saturated by the present external energy source (for example, a ruby crystal) with photons of the required energy coming from the outside. They knock out their twins from the substance atoms that form the active medium. However, they aren’t absorbed.
The optical resonator of the device, which can be represented by two mirrors installed in parallel, ensures additional saturation of the medium. This results in multiple collisions of identical photons with atoms. In turn, this provokes appearance of new photons. In such a device, one mirror is translucent, which allows photons to freely pass through it moving towards the optical axis. This is how a narrowly focused laser beam is formed.
According to the active media types, cnc machines divided into:
- gas;
- solid-state;
- semiconductor.
According to the energy type of used for pumping:
- impulse;
- with constant power.
Besides these indicators, lasers are classified according to a few other parameters: purpose, radiation power, size, and others.
What the machine can be used for
If we look at the laser machine products as at a device used for wood (MDF, plywood) laser cutting only, even then the owner of such equipment has numerous opportunities to choose possible options for developing his business. Here are just a few of the available solutions.
Production of interior items, furniture
For these purposes, large-scale laser cutter models are more suitable. In most cases, the raw material is 8 mm thick multilayer plywood, which can ensure the required durability of the finished structure. It is possible to produce classic furniture or fulfill personalized orders, a variety of customized solutions.
Such goods as wall carved panels for decoration or wall elements are in great demand.
Thin plywood is used to make excellent decorative screens for radiators.
Production of plywood keychains and engravings
Small souvenirs are made with the cnc desktop engravers. Thin multilayer plywood is used for production. Magnets for refrigerators, key chains are in constant demand.
Organize production of caricatured popular characters from movies and computer games, social networks stickers, and other demanded products.
Engravings and foreign artists’ works look good even in monochrome colors, when varnished and stained.
Production of DIY kits and children’s constructors
These kits are rapidly becoming popular. At the same time, it’s just the craftsman’s imagination that their complexity degree depends on. Arrange supply of the simplest kits for assembling houses or produce complex structures equipped with moving parts.
The latter devices require preliminary detailed work on a vector prototype. However, this type of products is more expensive, which reduces the payback period.
Decor, props, production of street signs, and advertisements
When processing workpieces made of PVC and polycarbonate, plexiglass and vinyl film, it demonstrates acceptable performance. This laser cutter is in demand for producing functional furniture and exhibition stands.
Profitable operation area is production of street signs.
Cutting patterns for clothing industry firms (private companies) is available in this particular model as well.
Conclusions
By buying a cnc laser cutter, you can organize a profitable business at minimal cost and in the shortest time possible. For example, you can find companies with cool logos, like utländskacasino.biz and make them promo materials
