Again, vote. What type of laser do we want?
- Fiber
- nd:YAG
- CO2
- Other (post below)
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Could anyone link to a definition of what the different types mean for laser capabilities?
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I know nothing about the pros and cons of lasers and I dont think these pages helped much. although fiber lasers look cool but also expensive
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The primary differences involve wavelength of the output beam, control of the direction and focusing of the beam and how it handles a workpiece. Of course, a lot of other variables could be considered, too, such as power, cost, MTBF, size, etc. I would have an easier time telling you what type of beam each laser could produce than I could tell you how one might use that beam to modify a part. My training is in lasers, not in machining with lasers. However, wavelength is a big factor in how a beam interacts with a part. CO2 lasers produce an infrared beam with a wavelength of 10.6 micrometers. Nd:YAG lasers produce an IR beam with a wavelength around 1.06 um, or 1/10th the wavelength of CO2. So, even at the same power, these two beams will act differently when they strike the same material.
We have a wide variety of materials that we are interested in modifying in the laser cutter, too. Just considering metals, here is a PDF comparing CO2 to solid-state (e.g., Nd:YAG) laser machining:
“The decisive factor when selecting a suitable laser is the range of materials, sheet metal thicknesses, etc., that are to be processed. If flexibility and versatility are demanded across all sheet metal thicknesses, while maintaining very good cut quality, then the CO2 laser is the beam source of choice – despite its lower efficiency in comparison with the solid-state laser. If the focus is on thin sheet metals, then the solid-state laser – i.e. the disk or fiber laser – can play to its strengths. Since all pumped solid-state lasers have a wavelength of 1 μm, they do not need to be distinguished further here.”
http://www.iconmachinetool.com/education/Whitepaper_Which_laser_for_which_cut.pdf
My sense of this is that fiber would be nice, but probably not practical for us at this time. Nd:YAG would offer us versatility that we don’t currently have, and it could be even more useful if it could be coupled to a fiber for directing it in ways that would be difficult with a mirror system. CO2 is inexpensive, powerful and robust. With the appropriate accessories, any of these could be used to cut or etch metal or glass, or pretty much anything else. So, then it comes down to what the vendor can do for us.
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I voted fiber because it would appear to be more practical for a Makerspace. From what I understand, we wouldn’t have to worry about dirty or misaligned mirrors (not that I understand how the mirrors get misaligned.) Another factor we need to consider is the upkeep costs. Yes we can offset those with the usage fee but if a particular type of laser requires expensive consumables or specialized maintenance, do we want to go down that road?
I have no clue on how to vote on this one. These polls are really not helpful to me in deciding a laser. We need to ask what we want to do with a laser before we talk about size and technology. It feels like all of these are just going towards giant metal cutting laser. we are not really leaving room for other options.
As far as I can tell, Fiber lasers are only for cutting and marking metal right now, same for yag lasers. CO2 can do alot of things, but with a really high power CO2 tube, we get stuck with cutting big thick things or metal, unless we can find some really fast moving laser.
I vote for Giant Super Power CO2 laser with Extremely Fast moving laser head. There, the best of all worlds, except cost. Cut everything, mark everything, does it all super fast, and can fit nearly all material. To bad we will never be able to afford it.
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I’m in agreement with Nick.
Our discussion needs to be more focused on what we want to do and on what we can afford. Let’s not forget what can we maintain ourselves. Not very good if all of the usage fees go to a service person.
We have a Plasma cutter for metal so what advantage do we get from a metal cutting laser.
Etching metal would be useful too, but can we not go the same thing with chemical coatings.
I unit with a finer beam would be useful too…
Last, what can we afford? not much sense discussing $50K laser when all we have is $20k.
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We’ll take it under advisement. Please keep to topic. This discussion is on the technology of the next laser, not wether we want this or that.
There is an element of putting the cart before the horse, here, though. After all, choosing the technology is not something one does in a vacuum : it makes sense only in the context of a proposed application.
Any laser that cuts thin metal would be great. Something with a cleaner cut than you would get from the Plasma.
Ultimately, I would be most interested in something that can cut and etch metal, is the least labor-intensive for the folks who maintain it, and is the least expensive when it comes to how much the users pay to use it. What is the best fit for that?