How Does Laser Cutting Work?

Laser cutting uses a high-power laser that is directed through optics and computer numerical control (CNC) to direct the beam or material. Typically, the process uses a motion control system to follow a CNC or G-code of the pattern that is to be cut onto the material. The focused laser beam burns melts, vaporizes or is blown away by a jet of gas to leave a high-quality surface finished edge.

The laser beam is created by the stimulation of lasing materials through electrical discharges or lamps inside a closed container. The lasing material is amplified by being reflected internally via a partial mirror until its energy is enough for it to escape as a stream of coherent monochromatic light. This light is focused at the work area by mirrors or fiber optics that direct the beam through a lens that intensifies it.
At its narrowest point, a laser beam is typically under 0.0125 inches (0.32 mm) in diameter, but kerf widths as small as 0.004 inches (0.10mm) are possible depending on material thickness.

Where the laser cutting process needs to start anywhere other than the edge of the material, a piercing process is used, whereby a high-power pulsed laser makes a hole in the material, for example taking 5-15 seconds to burn through a 0.5-inch-thick (13 mm) stainless steel sheet.