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Although Fiber Lasers are being introduced to many applications at this time, most engraving lasers are of two varieties, CO2 & Q-Switched Nd:YAG.

If you are engraving in wood, plastic, paper,or glass (most organic materials) the usual choice is a CO2 laser. A CO2 generates a beam at 10.6 micrometers wavelength. This wavelength reacts better with these materials.

If you are engraving in dark anodized aluminum, either a CO2 or a Nd:YAG works well.

For metals, the common choice is a Q-switched Nd:YAG. These metals include aluminum, tool steel, stainless steel, soft steel, etc. A Nd:YAG laser produce a beam at 1064 nanometers. This is approximately 1/10 of the wavelength of a CO2 laser. Partly because of this wavelength reacts better with these materials, partly because at 1/10 the wavelength you can focus the laser to a smaller spot size and partly because of the Q-switching, Nd:YAG lasers are used for engraving metals. (Q-Switching is a method of quickly turning the beam on and off. By doing this, a laser beam with high peak power is created.) It is the wavelength, the spot size and the high peak power that allow the Nd:YAG laser beam to dig into metals.

Lasers are used for cutting many non-metal materials like acrylic, glass, wood, leather and rubber. They are also used for metals both ferrous and non-ferrous.

When cutting materials, there are a number of things to consider as follows:

  1. (1) The material one is cutting.
  2. (2) The thickness of the material.
  3. (3) The speed at which one wants to cut.

Materials are sometimes cut using a Nd:YAG laser but the CO2 is the much more usual laser used...

See Table I for cutting rates of CO2 lasers of 100 - 500 watts power and Table II for CO2 lasers of 1500 - 3500 watts power.

CO2 Laser Cutting: 100 - 500 Watt Lasers
|--------------- Speed (IPM) ---------------|
Material Thickness 100 Watt 200 Watt 500 Watt Assist Gas Focal Length
304 Stainless Steel .010 N/A 220 440 Oxygen 2.50
.020 N/A 110 220 Oxygen 2.50
.031 N/A 70 140 Oxygen 2.50
.062 N/A N/A 70 Oxygen 2.50
Low Carbon Steel .031 N/A 90 180 Oxygen 2.50
.062 N/A 45 90 Oxygen 2.50
.125 N/A N/A 45 Oxygen 2.50
Acrylic .125 80 160 320 Nitrogen 2.50
.250 40 80 160 Nitrogen 2.50
.375 25 50 100 Nitrogen 2.50
.500 N/A 40 80 Nitrogen 2.50
Polymethyl Methacrylite .125 80 160 320 Air 5.00
.250 40 80 160 Air 5.00
.500 20 40 80 Air 5.00
Glass-Reinforced Epoxy .031 25 50 100 Air 2.50
.062 N/A 35 70 Air 2.50
.062 N/A 18 35 Air 2.50
Glass-Reinforced Polyester Delrin .225 75 150 300 Nitrogen 2.50
.750 60 70 140 Nitrogen 2.50
Fir Plywood .375 30 60 120 Air 5.00
.500 N/A 40 80 Air 5.00
750 N/A 20 40 Air 5.00
1.000 N/A N/A 20 Air 5.00
Hardwood .125 120 240 480 Air 5.00
.250 60 120 240 Air 5.00
.375 40 80 160 Air 5.00
.500 N/A 60 120 Air 5.00
.750 N/A 20 40 Air 5.00
Die Board .750 N/A 20 40 Air 5.00
The listed cutting speeds are starting values which might need to be modified up or down, depending on the actual material and the desired edge quality. Please note that the assist gas is optional on all materials except steel.

Table I

CO2 Laser Cutting: 1500 - 3500 Watt Lasers
|--------------- Speed (IPM) ---------------|
Material Thickness 1500 Watt 2200 Watt 3500 Watt
Carbon Steel .062 210 250 300
.125 140 180 210
.250 65 80 100
.375 35 50 65
.500 30 40 55
.625 - 32 40
.750 - - 30
Stainless Steel
(O2 Assist)
.060 230 270 300
.125 130 180 210
.250 50 70 90
.375 20 30 40
.500 - 15 5
Aluminum .125 40 50 70
.250 20 28 35
Maple Dieboard
(2 point kerf)
.625 65 85 -
.750 60 80 -
Plastics Up to 1" thick To 350 To 400 To 450
NOTE: Reduce speed by approximately 20% When using high pressure nitrogen assist.

Table II

The typical laser used for welding is the pulsed Nd:YAG laser. These pulses are longer than the Q-switched pulse of a Nd:YAG engraving laser. Typical pulse widths are 0.5 to 29 milliseconds. Energy per pulse can range from 10 joules or less to 70 joules or more. Some Nd:YAG welders can have pulse shaping networks.

General: When selecting a laser. It is important to get a laser that has enough power and is otherwise suitable for your application. Feel free to contact Laser Resale Inc. for a free consultation.