Chapter 01: INRODUCTION

1.1 INTROUCTION:

Every year hundreds of projects are assigned to the B.E students in N.E.D. Some are based on
fabrication while some are management or research based. Various machines either manually
operated or CNC based have been fabricated but all of those have traditional tools for cutting
purposes. By the time the tool industry develop different types of tools whether changing the
material compositions, shape etc but they all have to, come in contact with the work piece in
order to cut it. But the development of laser brings a revolution in the manufacturing industry
because it totally changes the way of cutting things. Laser cutting is a technology based on
the phenomenon of NTM i.e; Nontraditional machining, that uses a laser to cut
materials and is typically used for industrial manufacturing applications and eliminate the
need for re-machining on many engineering jobs, enabling us to save money on manufacturing
costs. Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high-power laser by computer at the
material to be cut. The material then either melts, burns, vaporizes or is blown away by a jet
of gas leaving an edge with a high-quality surface finish. Industrial laser cutters are used to cut
flat sheet material as well as structural and piping materials.

Why to choose laser over traditional tools?

 Laser cutting technology enables us to cut complex shapes without the need for tooling and
at a similar or faster speed than other cutting methods
 Clean cut edges without burr or dust formation.
 Cutting of extremely fine contours and practically radius-free inner edges.
 Low thermal influence, i.e., no delamination.
 Cutting of various material thicknesses and combinations in one operation.
 No material deformation due to contactless material processing.
 No tensioning device or protective cover necessary.
 High level of precision and positional accuracy of the cut edges due to automatic recording.
 Maximum utilization of work piece because no space has to be kept free for cutting
channels.
 Offers reduced contamination of the work piece presents certain advantages over
traditional mechanical cutting techniques.
 The precision levels and edge quality achieved with laser cutting machines are better than
traditional cutting methods, as the laser beam will not wear during the laser cutting process.
 1.2 A BRIEF HISTORY OF LASER DEVELOPMENT

LASER is the acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

Albert Einstein was the first who explained the theory of stimulated emission in 1917, which
became the basis of Laser. He proposed that, when the population inversion exists between upper
and lower levels among atomic systems, it is possible to realize amplified stimulated emission and
the stimulated emission has the same frequency and phase as the incident radiation. However, in
late 1940s and 1950s, scientists and engineers did extensive work to recognize a practical device
which was based on the principle of stimulated emission. Prominent scientists who founded the
work include Charles Townes, Alexander Prokhorov, Nikolai G Basov and Joseph Weber.

At first, the scientists and engineers were working towards the understanding of a MASER
(Microwave Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation), a device that amplified
microwaves for its immediate use in microwave communication systems. Townes and the other
engineers thought it possible to create an optical maser, a device for creating powerful beams of
light using higher frequency energy to stimulate what was to become termed the lasing medium.
Despite the revolutionary work of Townes and Prokhorov it was left to Theodore Maiman in 1960
to invent the first Laser using ruby as a lasing medium that was stimulated using high energy
flashes of intense light.

The development of Lasers has been a turning point in the history of science and engineering. It
has produced a completely new type of systems with potentials for applications in a wide variety
of fields. During sixties, lot of work had been carried out on the basic development of almost all
the major lasers including high power gas dynamic and chemical lasers. Almost all the practical
applications of these lasers in defense as well as in industry were also identified during this period.
The motivation of using the high power lasers in strategic scenario was a great driving force for
the rapid development of these high power lasers. In early seventies, megawatt class carbon
dioxide gas dynamic laser was successfully developed and tested against typical military targets.
The development of chemical lasers, free electron and X-ray lasers took slightly longer time
because of involvement of multidisciplinary approach.

The major steps of advances or breakthroughs in Laser research are given below:

Dates, Contributors and events:

1917: Einstein, A. - Concept and theory of stimulated light emission

1948: Gabor, D. - Invention of holography

1951: Charles H Townes, Alexander Prokhorov, Nikolai G Basov, Joseph Weber - The
invention of the MASER (Microwave Amplification of Stimulated Emission of Radiation) at
Columbia University, Lebedev Laboratories, Moscow and University of Maryland.
1956: Bloembergen, N. - Solid-state maser- [Proposal for a new type of solid state maser] at
Harvard University.

1958: Schawlow, A.L. and Townes, C.H. - Proposed the realization of masers for light and
infrared at Columbia University .

1960: Maiman, T.H. - Realization of first working LASER based on Ruby at Hughes Research
Laboratories.

1961: Javan, A., Bennet, W.R. and Herriot, D.R. - First gas laser : Helium- Neon (He-Ne laser)
at Bell Laboratories.

1961: Fox, A.G., Li, T. - Theory of optical resonators at Bell Laboratories.

1962: Hall,R. - First Semiconductor laser (Gallium-Arsenide laser) at General Electric Labs.

1962: McClung,F.J and Hellwarth, R.W. - Giant pulse generation / Q-Switching.

1962: Johnson, L.F., Boyd, G.D., Nassau, K and Sodden, R.R. - Continuous wave solid-state
laser.

1964: Geusic, J.E., Markos, H.M., Van Uiteit, L.G. - Development of first working Nd:YAG
LASER at Bell Labs.

1964: Patel, C.K.N. - Development of CO2 LASER at Bell Labs.

1964: Bridges, W. - Development of Argon Ion LASER a Hughes Labs.

1965: Pimentel, G. and Kasper, J. V. V. - First chemical LASER at University of California,

Berkley.

1965: Bloembergen, N. - Wave propagation in nonlinear media.

1966: Silfvast, W., Fowles, G. and Hopkins - First metal vapor LASER - Zn/Cd - at University
of Utah.

1966: Walter, W.T., Solomon, N., Piltch, M and Gould, G. - Metal vapor laser.

1966: Sorokin, P. and Lankard, J. - Demonstration of first Dye Laser action at IBM Labs.

1966: AVCO Research Laboratory, USA. - First Gas Dynamic Laser based on CO2

1970: Nikolai Basov's Group - First Excimer LASER at Lebedev Labs, Moscow based on Xenon
(Xe) only.

1974: Ewing, J.J. and Brau, C. - First rare gas halide excimer at Avco Everet Labs.
1977: John M J Madey's Group - First free electron laser at Stanford University.

1977: McDermott, W.E., Pehelkin, N.R,. Benard, D.J and Bousek, R.R. - Chemical Oxygen
Iodine Laser (COIL).

1980: Geoffrey Pert's Group - First report of X-ray lasing action, Hull University, UK.

1984: Dennis Matthew's Group - First reported demonstration of a "laboratory" X-ray laser from
Lawrence Livermore Labs.

1999: Herbelin,J.M., Henshaw, T.L., Rafferty, B.D., Anderson, B.T., Tate, R.F., Madden,
T.J., Mankey II, G.C and Hager, G.D. - All Gas-Phase Chemical Iodine Laser (AGIL).

2001: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - Solid State Heat Capacity Laser (SSHCL).

http://www.worldoflasers.com/laserhistory.htm

1.3 PROJECT OBJECTIVE

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering has many CNC machines to be proud of
but this has been felt for a long time that there must be some machine that replace the traditional
way of machining and has some new non-traditional method of machining. Development of a laser
based manufacturing system is the first time project in IMD to cut materials in desired shape and
required quantity.

 To develop a CNC machine based on non-traditional machining (NTM) i.e. the cutting tool
is not in contact with the work piece during cutting.
 To increase the production rate.
 To reduce the wastage of material during machining in the form of chips.
 Good surface finish without extra machining which lead to reduce machining cost and
cycle time.

1.4 PROJECT SCOPE

When we talk about project planning, describing the project scope is the most important step. In
case if we start the project without realizing what we are supposed to be delivering at the end to
our customer and what the boundaries of our project are, there is a little chance for us to achieve
success. The main purpose of defining the scope is to clearly describe the boundaries of project.
If we do not do a good job in project scope definition, the project scope management during the
project execution will be almost impossible. Therefore, we identified more elements in detailed
manner and divide them among the scope and out of scope.
 INCLUDED:
 CNC machine having laser as a cutting tool in operational condition.
 Non-metal (Acrylic) cutting with 60W tube.
 CNC electronic components.
 Structural design.
 Mechanical components.

NOT INCLUDED:
 Metal cutting.

1.5 APPLICATION

There is a wide range of processes in which laser cutting is used. A vast range of materials can be
engraved, cut and machined by laser. Following are some applications of laser:

1.5.1 Industrial Applications

Industrial laser applications can be divided into two categories depending on the power
of the laser: material processing and micro-material processing. In material processing,
lasers with average optical power above 1 kilowatt are used mainly for industrial materials
processing applications. Laser systems in the 50-300W range are used primarily for plastic
cutting, pumping and soldering applications. Lasers above 300W are used in thin metal
welding, brazing, and sheet metal cutting applications.

 Laser cutting
 Laser welding
 Laser drilling
 Laser marking
 Laser cladding
 Photolithography
 Digital minilabs
 Laser engraving
 Power beaming, which is a possible solution to transfer energy to the climber of a Space
elevator
 3D laser scanners for accurate 3D measurement
 In laser printers: gas and diode lasers play a key role in manufacturing high resolution
printing plates and in image scanning equipment.
 Laser alignment
 Additive manufacturing
 Plastic welding
 1.5.2 Other Applications

Many scientific, medical, military and commercial laser applications have been
developed since its invention in 1958.

Medical Applications
There is a wide range of medical applications. Often these relate to the outer parts of the human
body, which are easily reached with light; examples are eye surgery and vision correction
(LASIK), dentistry, dermatology (e.g. photodynamic therapy of cancer), Soft tissue surgery, “No-
Touch" removal of tumors, especially of the brain and spinal cord and various kinds of cosmetic
treatment such as tattoo removal and hair removal.

Metrology

Lasers are widely used in optical metrology, e.g. for extremely precise position measurements and
optical surface profiling with interferometers, for long-distance range finding and navigation.
Optical sampling is a technique applied for the characterization of fast electronic microcircuits,
microwave photonics, terahertz science, etc.

Data Storage

Optical data storage e.g. in compact disks (CDs), DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and magneto-optical disks.
Another case is holography, where the temporal coherence can also be important.

Communication

Optical fiber communication, extensively used particularly for long-distance optical data
transmission, mostly relies on laser light in optical glass fibers. Free-space optical
communications, e.g. for inter-satellite communications.

Displays

Laser projection displays containing RGB sources can be used for cinemas, home videos, flight
simulators etc.

Military Applications

There are a variety of military laser applications. Some high-power lasers are currently developed
for potential use as directed energy weapons on the battle field, or for destroying missiles,
projectiles and mines.
 Chapter 02: LASER: PRINCIPLE AND TYPES

2.1 LASER

The term "laser" originated as an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”.
It is a device that creates a narrow and low-divergent beam of coherent light, while most other light
sources emit incoherent light, which has a phase that varies randomly with time and position. Most
lasers emit nearly "monochromatic" light with a narrow wavelength spectrum.

2.1.1 Laser Principle

A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated
emission of electromagnetic radiation. The principle of a laser is based on three separate features: a)
stimulated emission within an amplifying medium, b) population inversion of electronics and c) an
optical resonator.

Spontaneous Emission and Stimulated Emission

According to the quantum mechanics, an electron within an atom or lattice can have only certain
values of energy, or energy levels. There are many energy levels that an electron can occupy, but
here we will only consider two. If an electron is in the excited state with the energy E2 it may
spontaneously decay to the ground state, with energy E1, releasing the difference in energy
between the two states as a photon. (Fig.2a) This process is called spontaneous emission,
producing fluorescent light. The phase and direction of the photon in spontaneous emission are
completely random due to Uncertainty Principle. The angular frequency ω and energy of the
photon is:

E2−E1=ℏω
where ћ is the reduced plank constant.

On the other hand, a photon with a particular frequency satisfying above equation would be
absorbed by an electron in the ground state. The electron remains in this excited state for a period
of time typically less than 10-6 second. Then it returns to the lower state spontaneously by a
photon or a phonon. These common processes of absorption and spontaneous emission cannot
give rise to the amplification of light. The best that can be achieved is that for every photon
absorbed, another is emitted.
 (a)

(b)

Fig.2 Diagram of (a) spontaneous Emission; and (b) stimulated Emission

Alternatively, if the excited-state atom is perturbed by the electric field of a photon with
frequency ω, it may release a second photon of the same frequency, in phase with the first
photon. The atom will again decay into the ground state. This process is known as stimulated
emission.

The emitted photon is identical to the stimulating photon with the same frequency, polarization,
and direction of propagation. And there is a fixed phase relationship between light radiated from
different atoms. The photons, as a result, are totally coherent. This is the critical property that
allows optical amplification to take place.

Population Inversion
Since the probability for an individual atom to absorb a photon is the same as the probability for an
excited atom to emit a photon via stimulated emission, the collection of real atoms will be a net
absorber, not a net emitter, and amplification will not be possible. Consequently, to make a laser, we
have to create a “population inversion. The electron is pumped (excited) into an upper level E4 by
some mechanism (for example, a collision with another atom or absorption of high-energy radiation).
It then decays to E3, then to E2, and finally to the ground state E1 Let us assume that the time it takes
to decay from E2 to E1 is much longer than the time it takes to decay from E2 to E1. In a large
population of such atoms, at equilibrium and with a continuous pumping process, a population
inversion will occur between the E3 and E2 energy states, and a photon entering the population will
be amplified coherently

Optical Resonator
Although with a population inversion we have the ability to amplify a signal via stimulated
emission, the overall single-pass gain is quite small, and most of the excited atoms in the
population emit spontaneously and do not contribute to the overall output. Then the resonator is
applied to make a positive feedback mechanism.

An optical resonator usually has two flat or concave mirrors, one on either end, that reflect lasing
photons back and forth so that stimulated emission continues to build up more and more laser
light. Photons produced by spontaneous decay in other directions are off axis so that they won’t
be amplified to compete with stimulated emission on axis. The "back" mirror is made as close to
100% reflective as possible, while the "front" mirror typically is made only 95 - 99% reflective
so that the rest of the light is transmitted by this mirror and leaks out to make up the actual laser
beam outside the laser device.

http://electrons.wikidot.com/principle-and-application-of-laser
2.2 TYPES OF LASER

There are literally more than 10,000 types of lasers developed by today. Most of them are developed
only in laboratory, but some found very broad applications. Laser are classified according to the type of
medium. The laser medium can be a solid, gas, liquid or semiconductor.

2.2.1 SOLID STATE LASER

In this a ruby like crystal is used which acts as an active medium. It is basically cylindrical in shape. This
crystal is surrounded by a xenon flash lamp T. This flash lamp is of helical shape. In this arrangement this
lamp acts as a pumping arrangement. Both the ends E1 and E2 of the crystal are properly polished.
Similar to the gas lasers, the surface M1 will do the complete reflection but on the other hand M2 will
reflect partially. Whenever we will pass the current through the arrangement a laser beam of red color
having large intensity will come out.

Examples:

Laser medium and type Pump source applications

Ruby laser Flash lamp Holography, tattoo removal.
Nd:YAG(neodymium-doped Flashlamp, laser diode Material processing, range-
yttrium aluminium garnet) laser finding, laser target designation,
surgery, tattoo removal, hair
removal, research,
Holmium YAG (Ho:YAG) laser Laser diode Tissue ablation, kidney stone
removal

2.2.2 GAS LASER

These lasers contain a mixture of helium and neon. This mixture is packed up into a glass tube.
This packed mixture act as an active medium. The pressure inside the tube is maintained at 1 torr
for helium and .1 torr for neon. The length of the glass tube is approx. from .25m to 1m. Its
diameter is nearly 1cm.

Two electrodes present in the tube are connected to a high voltage D.C. source. This circuit
results in the generation of the discharge inside the tube. Further this discharge works like a
pump. Two parallel mirrors are placed in front of each other. Both mirrors are present inside the
tube. Only mirror M1 shows the complete reflection. The mirror M2 shows partial reflection.
When we pass the electric current through the tube, a continuous light wave will start flowing
inside the tube with constant frequency. It is also known as coherent light waves. It will come
out from the side of mirror M2.

Examples:

Laser medium and type Pump source applications

Helium–neon laser Electrical discharge Spectroscopy, barcode
scanning, alignment, optical
demonstrations.
Nitrogen laser Electrical discharge measuring air pollution,
scientific research
Carbon dioxide laser Transverse (high power) or Material processing (cutting,
longitudinal (low power) welding, etc.), surgery, dental
electrical discharge laser, military lasers

2.2.3 DYE LASER

Dye lasers use complex organic dyes, such as rhodamine 6G, in liquid solution or suspension as lasing
media. They are tunable over a broad range of wavelengths.
Examples:

Laser medium and type Pump source applications

Dye lasers Other laser, flash lamp Research, laser medicine,
spectroscopy, birthmark
removal, isotope separation.

2.2.4 SEMI-CONDUCTOR LASER

Semiconductor lasers, sometimes called diode lasers, are not solid-state lasers. These electronic devices
are generally very small and use low power.

Examples:

Laser medium and type Pump source applications

GaN(gallium(III) nitride) Electrical current Optical discs. 405 nm is used in
Blu-ray Discs reading/recording.
InGaN (Indium gallium Electrical current Home projector, primary light
nitride) source for some recent small
projectors

2.2.5 CHEMICAL LASER

A chemical laser is a laser that obtains its energy from a chemical reaction. Chemical lasers can reach
continuous wave output with power reaching to megawatt levels.

Examples:

Laser medium and type Pump source applications

Hydrogen fluoride laser Chemical reaction in a burning Used in research for laser
jet of ethylene and nitrogen weaponry
trifluoride (NF3)

Agil (All gas-phase iodine laser) Chemical reaction of chlorine Scientific, weaponry, aerospace.
atoms with gaseous hydrazoic
acid, resulting in excited
molecules of nitrogen chloride,
which then pass their energy to
the iodine atoms.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/laser7.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_laser_types
2.3 CO2 LASER

CO2 laser are gas lasers that are based on a carbon dioxide gas mixture, which is stimulated electrically.
With a wavelength of 10.6 micrometers, they are mainly suited for working on non-metallic materials
and on most plastics. CO2 lasers have a relatively high efficiency and feature a very good beam quality.
They are therefore the most widely used laser types.

2.3.1 CONSTRUCTION AND WORKING

The physical arrangement of most CO2 lasers is similar to that of any other gas laser: a gas filled
tube between a pair of mirrors excited by a DC or RF electrical discharge. Metal coated mirrors
(e.g., solid molybdenum or a gold or copper coating on glass or another base metal) may be used
for the high reflector (totally reflecting mirror). However, at the 10.6 um wavelength, a glass
mirror cannot be used for the output coupler (the end at which the beam exits) as glass is opaque
in that region of the E/M spectrum. One material often used for CO2 lasers optics is zinc selenide
(ZnSe) which has very low losses at 10.6 um. Additional gases are normally added to the gas
mixture (besides CO2) to improve efficiency and extend lifetime. The typical gas fill is: 9.5%
CO2, 13.5% N2, and 77% He. Note how ‘He’ is the largest constituent and CO2 isn't even
second.

The CO2 laser is a 3-level system. The primary pumping mechanism is that the electrical
discharge excites the nitrogen molecules. These then collide with the CO2 molecules. The
energy levels just happen to match such that the energy of an excited N2 molecule is the energy
needed to raise a CO2 molecule from the ground state (level 1) to level 3, while the N2 molecule
relaxes to the ground state. Stimulated emission occurs between levels 3 and 2.

The metastable vibrational level (level 2) has a lifetime of about 2 milliseconds at a gas pressure
of a few Torr. The strongest and most common lasing wavelength is 10.6 um but depending on
the specific set of energy levels, the lasing wavelength can also be at 9.6 um (which is also quite
strong) and at a number of other lines between 9 and 11 um - but these are rarely exploited in
commercial CO2 lasers. The helium in the mixture serves 2 purposes: (1) He atoms collide with
CO2 molecules at level 2, helping them relax to the ground state; (2) it improves the thermal
conductivity of the gas mixture. This is important because if the CO2 gets hot, the natural
population in level 2 increases, negating the population inversion. Cooling of the gas mixture is
critical to achieving good power output. The gas at the center of the tube is hottest and loses heat
by thermal conduction through the surrounding gas to the walls. As the gas pressure increases,
the thermal conductivity gets worse. So with a smaller tube, the gas pressure can be higher. This
is why the power available from a properly-designed CO2 laser depends on the length of the tube
but not the diameter (i.e., smaller diameter tube = higher pressure = greater density of CO2,
which compensates for the smaller diameter).
2.3.2 TYPES OF CO2 LASER (w.r.t Gas Flow)

1. Axial gas flow:

The gas mixture is pumped in one end of the tube and out the other. This provides fresh
gas to replace the (CO2) depleted due to dissociation of the gas molecules. He and N2 are
added to the mixture to boost efficiency.

Power output is typically 40 to 80 W per meter of tube length (more or less independent
of tube diameter). Folded optical systems may be used to reduce the total physical length
of the laser. This approach is practical for output powers of up to a couple of kW.

2. Transverse gas flow:

Instead of flowing down the tube, the gas flows across it providing the highest power
ratings for continuous CO2 laser operation.

Power outputs of 10 kW per meter are possible with Transverse Excited Atmospheric
(TEA) designs. The much higher pressure results is much more available lasing medium -
and thus much higher power for a give size laser.

3. Sealed tube:

The structure of these is very similar to that of sealed HeNe and Ar/Kr ion lasers but
with features (bore diameter, etc.) geared to much longer C02 wavelength.

Power output of sealed CO2 lasers ranges from a few watts to perhaps 100 W (maybe
more).

2.3.3 TYPES OF CO2 LASER (w.r.t Cooling System)

The largest material processing markets served by CO2 lasers are applications
that require CW, pulsed, or super pulsed outputs from the following two
types:
1. Convectively cooled DC-or RF-excited lasers with output powers from
1kW to 60kW (with the largest market occurring in systems having
laser output in the 5 to 6 kW range)
2. Sealed-off, diffusion-cooled, RF-excited lasers of either the slab or
waveguide variety, having output power from a few watts up to
approximately 2kW average power.
2.3.4 SEALED TUBE CO2 LASER CHARACTERISTICS (SELECTED)

 The typical sealed CO2 tube has an operating voltage of between 3 and 12 kV at 2 to 15
mA DC. Some may require 20 kV at 20 mA or more.
 A high starting voltage is required to initiate the discharge.
 The value of the negative resistance of the CO2 discharge is between -200K and -600K
ohms.

2.3.5 WHY CO2 LASER? COMPARISION OF CO2 LASER WITH OTHER TYPES

Beam shape. Here there is basically no comparison: Virtually all CO2 lasers produce a beam
that is far, far, more symmetrical and even than ANY industrial-class YAG laser.

 CO2 lasers generally produce either a dot-mode or a ring-mode beam which focus down
to either a single point or a very tiny, even ring.
 YAG lasers produce what's called a multi-mode beam - the energy profile resembles a
shotgun blast - a random collection of dots in a circular pattern.

The beam shape is important: Think of a lathe. If you use a fine pointed cutter you produce finer,
more precise cuts with less force needed to cut in to a given depth. If you use a bull-nose bit you
take out a much larger piece of metal with a corresponding drop in the depth you can achieve
with a specified amount of force.

Beam delivery

YAG beams can be run through fiber-optic cables which can be handled much like wire. CO2 beams
must be transmitted through the air using a system of mirrors.

Operating considerations.

CO2 lasers are very rugged - the material that actually makes the beam is a gas and therefore cannot
be damaged. Solid-state lasers use a crystal to generate the beam. These crystal rods are very
expensive - several thousand dollars for an industrial size laser. If the laser is improperly tuned or
operated the crystal can be almost instantly destroyed.

Safety considerations

In this area, CO2 beams are much safer. The wavelength of a CO2 beam is 10.6 microns, a
wavelength that is strongly absorbed by water. As the human body is mostly constitute of water, an
unfocused or reflected CO2 beam does not penetrate beyond the 1st few layers of skin. Laser-safety
eye-wear is normally sufficient to meet safety guidelines.

YAG beams have a 1.06 micron wavelength - just below the visible deep-red. This wavelength deeply
penetrates the body. If someone gets hit by a YAG beam, there is more damage than just a surface
burn. Worse, the 1.06 micron wavelength is focused by the eye just like "normal" light. A beam
 scattered from a process WILL be focused to a point in the eye, probably destroying the spot where
it focused. As such, all YAG workstations MUST be sealed off and light-tight during processing, which
is not possible in our case.

Economic considerations

Among all the commercially available lasers, the CO2 laser offers the lowest
cost per watt along with good beam quality. This figure of merit is presently
well below $100 per watt for CO2 lasers. The fact that commercial CO2 lasers
are available with a wide range of average output power ranging from a few
watts up to over 60 kW has helped to make the CO2 laser the workhorse of
the material processing industry.

2.4 CONCLUSION

On the basis of all above discussed edges of using CO2 laser over all other
types of laser, we chose CO2 laser as our cutting laser source. Keeping in
front our budget, we found that it is economically feasible as well as safer for
us.
 CHAPTER 03: CO2 LASER AND MATERIAL SELECTION

3.1 INTRODUCTION

The carbon dioxide laser (CO2 laser) was one of the earliest gas lasers to be developed (invented
by Kumar Patel of Bell Labs in 1964), and is still one of the most useful. Carbon dioxide lasers
are the highest-power continuous wave lasers that are currently available. Over this 50-year period,
the laser material processing market has grown to become one of the largest, if not the largest,
industrial application for lasers in terms of annual revenue. It has captured the largest portion of
the revenues associated with the laser material processing market.
 Adding to the attractiveness of the CO2 laser is the high absorption of its infrared
radiation. Radiation between 9 and 11 microns wavelength is strongly absorbed by
materials such as paper, wood, cloth, ceramics, oxides, plastics, glass, stone, liquids,
and most complex molecules.

 One fast growing market for low-average power CO2 lasers (i.e., below 100W) is the
marking of products with date of manufacture and expiration, lot and serial numbers,
etc. Laser marking is cutting into market share of the ink-jet industry.

 The benefits have been felt especially in the automobile industry.

 Other fast expanding markets are the scribing of glass and cutting of plates for the
display market, the cutting/drilling of plastics, and the drilling of holes in printed
circuit boards.

 The introduction of miniature and relatively inexpensive electronic devices such as

cell phones, laptops, hand-held computers etc. has forced increased speed in the
number of holes drilled per unit and a reduction in the cost per drilled hole in printed
circuit boards.

 One approach that has gained favor for achieving the increased speed and lower cost
per hole is the use of pulsed laser drilling systems instead of using mechanical drill
machines.

 The oldest and largest market for CO2 lasers systems is cutting, welding, and drilling
of sheet metal with high power CO2 lasers, with the largest revenues coming from
systems that use lasers with output average powers in the range of 2 to 6 kW.
 3.2 WORKPIECE MATERIAL

Lasers work on materials using the principle of absorption. In other words, the material
must absorb the laser energy. Many different laser sources can and cannot work on
materials. The power of the laser, measured in watts will affect the speed and depth a laser
will work on a material.

3.2.1 Metal Cutting

Laser cutting machines are ideal for cutting perfect parts from many types of sheet metal. They
have eliminated expensive re-tooling costs and time-consuming stamps by quickly and easily
producing parts directly from the original CAD files. Laser cutting greatly simplifies the design
and manufacturing process. With it complex metal parts can be designed that are difficult to
make with conventional tools. Following are the details of some metals that can be cut by laser:

Alloy Steel. Since care is taken to control the amount and distribution of additives to the base
iron, most alloy steels are considered ideal candidates for metal laser cutter systems. High
strength materials such as AISI-SAE 4130 (chrome moly steel) and 4340 (chrome nickel moly
steel) display exceptional laser cut edges that are square and clean.

Aluminum Alloys. Due to its high thermal conductivity and high reflectivity to a CO2 laser's
wavelength, aluminum requires high laser energy intensity in order to initiate cutting. This
means the need for a laser possessing exceptional beam quality and capable of outputting peak
powers of at least 500 Watts, in addition to precise focus control. During the cutting process, the
assist gas serves primarily to blow the molten material from the cut zone. This helps to produce
edge quality that is generally superior to that produced by a band saw.

Brass. Brass can absorb some energy from the CO2 laser, and essentially behaves like
aluminum.

Carbon Steel. Conventional steels lend themselves well to oxygen assisted laser cutters. The
kerfs are narrow (as little as 0. 1 mm for thin material) and the resultant heat affected zones are
negligible, particularly for mild and low carbon steel. At the same time, the cut edges are
smooth, clean, and square.

Stainless Steel. Lasers have been shown to be viable cutting tools for the fabrication of sheet
metal components made from stainless. The controlled heat input of the laser beam serves to
minimize the HAZ along the cut edge, thereby helping the material to maintain its corrosion
resistance. Since stainless does not react with an oxygen-assist as efficiently as mild steel, cutting
speeds for stainless are slightly slower than those for comparable thicknesses of plain steel. At
the expense of up to 50% of the speed for oxygen assisted cutting, an inert assist gas can be
employed to obtain a "weld ready", oxide-free cut edge. As for the resultant cut quality,
martensitic and ferritic (400 series) stainless provide clean smooth edges.
Titanium. Pure titanium responds well to the concentrated heat energy of a focused laser beam.
The use of an oxygen assist enhances the cutting speeds but tends to promote a larger oxide layer
along the cut edge. Aircraft alloys such 6AL-4V do tend to exhibit some slag that adheres to the
bottom side of the cut but is relatively easy to remove.

Tool Steel. Similar in many ways to alloy steels, most tool steels respond well to the cutting
action of a laser.

3.2.2 NON-METAL CUTTING

Lowest cost laser machines are lowest power CO2 lasers (30 to 80 watts) that work on
nonmetals including acrylics and other plastics, wood and paper, fabrics and textiles and
other nonmetals. CO2 lasers with powers above 80 watts can cut and engrave or mark the
same nonmetals with higher speed and increased thickness.

Material Engrave Cut

Wood x x
Acrylic x x
Fabric x x
Glass x
Coated Metals x
Ceramic x
Delrin x x
Cloth x x
Leather x x
Marble x
Matte Board x x
Melamine x x
Paper x x
Mylar x x
Pressboard x x
Rubber x x
Wood Veneer x x
Fiberglass x x
Painted Metals x
Tile x
Plastic x x
Cork x x
Corian x x
3.3 WHY NON-METAL CO2 LASER?

At first we were assigned to do metal cutting with laser but after market search
and various discussions in meetings with our advisors we come to the point
that we will be going to cut non-metals rather metals. For that we have some
reasons for switching to non-metal cutting.

 The most important reason for not selecting metal cutting laser is, it is
ultra-expensive and in simple words it is unaffordable for us.
 The metal lasers are complex in design and have enormous size
accessories like for their cooling purpose a chiller unit must be installed
along with them.
 As per our local market search mostly non-metal cutting is performed in
the local industry.

3.4 ACRYLIC; PROPERTIES AND ADVANTAGES

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), also known as acrylic or acrylic glass is a transparent
thermoplastic found in molding sugar or casting syrup form. It’s chemical formula is (C5O2H8)n. It
is also known by the trade names as Plexiglas, Acrylite, Lucite, and Perspex. Acrylic sheet is
often chosen for its durability, impact strength and color and pattern possibilities. The temperature
at which acrylic begins to soften 210˚C. This low heat point allows fabricators to easily shape
acrylic to meet their design demands. Acrylic plastic is a strong, clear polymer used in a host of
industries including automobiles, lighting fixtures, optical applications and electronic applications.
The "glass" on your cellphone and the windows on
your car may be acrylic, chosen for high impact
strength and low weight. And because a mirrored
finish can be applied to acrylic sheet, acrylic is even
used for your side view and rear view mirrors. If one
is reading on a laptop, he/she could be looking through
acrylic sheet. If the room is lit by fluorescent lights,
the diffusing panel that hides the bulbs could also be
made from acrylic. Because it can be formed to nearly
any shape, acrylic is prevalent at stores and malls – the
signs you read, point-of-purchase displays that grab
your attention and jewelry cases that protect watches
and rings are all made using acrylic.

• Sinks

• Baths

• Door handles

• Signs

• Technical models

• Badges

• Clock material

• Fascia panels

• Furniture

• Sculptures

• Windows and skylights

• Lighting fixtures and lenses

• Aquariums

• The spectator protection in ice hockey position

• Motorcycle helmets visors

• Police vehicles

• Artificial fingernails

• Ink

• Electric guitars
 CHAPTER 04 COMPONENTS OF LASER MACHINE

3.1 LASER TUBE

The main parameters of performance indicators(Wavelength10.6µm)

Length(mm) Outside Laser Triggering Operating Triggering Operating Output Stability
Diameter Spot Voltage voltage Current power
Current(mA) (%)
(mm) (mm) (kv) (kv) (mA) (watt)
≥62-
1200 Ø60±2 ≤5 24-26 15-17 5-6 18-22 10
70