Compared to traditional oxyacetylene and plasma cutting processes, laser cutting offers advantages such as faster speed, narrower kerf, smaller heat-affected zone, better kerf edge perpendicularity, and smoother cut edges. It can also cut a wider variety of materials, including carbon steel, stainless steel, alloy steel, wood, plastics, rubber, cloth, quartz, ceramics, glass, and composite materials. With the rapid development of the market economy and the ever-advancing science and technology, laser cutting technology has been widely applied in the automotive, machinery, power, hardware, and electrical appliance industries. In recent years, laser cutting technology has been developing at an unprecedented rate, growing at a rate of 15% to 20% annually.
During the laser cutting process, the laser beam is focused into a very small focal point by the lens of the cutting head, achieving a high power density at the focal point. The cutting head is fixed on the z-axis. At this point, the heat input from the beam far exceeds the heat reflected, conducted, or diffused by the material, quickly heating the material to its melting and vaporization temperature. Simultaneously, a high-speed gas stream blows the molten and vaporized material out from the coaxial or non-coaxial side, forming a hole in the material. As the focal point moves relative to the material, a continuous, narrow slit is formed in the hole, thus completing the cutting of the material.