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A product of such strong light is heat, heat so strong it can vapourise materials that have melting points of hundreds of °C.

Mirrors & Focusing

At one end of the tube is a partially reflective mirror, and the other end, is a fully reflective mirror.

The light is reflected back and forth, up and down the length of the tube, this increases the intensity of light as it flows through the tube.

Eventually, the light becomes powerful enough to pass through the partially reflective mirror. From here, it is guided to the first mirror outside of the tube, then to a second, and finally to the third.

These mirrors are used to accurately deflect the laser beam in the desired directions.

The final mirror is located inside the laser head and redirects the laser vertically through the focus lens to the working material.

The focus lens refines the path of the laser, ensuring it is focused on a precise spot.

The laser beam is typically focused from around 7mm diameter down to approximately 0.1mm depending on the distance to the material.

It is this focusing process and the resulting increase in light intensity that allows the laser to vapourise such a specific area of the material’s surface to produce extremely precise cutting results.

Moving The Laser with CNC Systems

The CNC (Computer Numerical Control) system allows the machine to move the laser head in different directions over the work bed and workpiece.

By working in unison with the mirrors and lens the focused laser beam can be quickly moved around the machine bed to create different shapes without any loss in power or accuracy.

The incredible speed at which the laser can switch on and off with every pass of the laser head allows it to engrave some incredibly intricate designs.

What Materials Can Be Cut/Engraved With A CO2 Laser Cutter?

CO2 laser cutters can work with a range of materials, however, which is the best for your needs will ultimately depend on your requirements. However, CO2 lasers are primarily used to cut and/or engrave the following types of materials:

• Acrylic
• Wood
• Paper
• Leather
• Metals (typically for engraving only when anodised or powder coated or engraving bare metals with a specialist marking compound)

It’s worth noting that some materials can produce extremely harmful gases, so if you’re unable to to vent the machine directly outside or using adequate filtration systems, you may need to look at using a standalone fume extractor.

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