Re: CO2 Lasers for CNC Machines

In a message dated 8/7/99 11:56:48 AM SA Eastern Standard Time,
boman@... writes:

<< One interesting and sometimes practical application could be to cut out
layers of thin material, plastic or steel and them braze >>
Of course the idea would be to cut thin plywood, soft metal like aluminum,
and plastics. Practical application for materials 1/8" thick wood and
plastics and 1/32" aluminum, perhaps even 1/16" fiberglass sheets.

My previous research into the CO2 lasers found that a 20 watt laser would be
necessary for such type of cutting. I even found info on making the laser
itself but it requires a lot of knowledge and it is a dangerous task since
lasers operate with high voltages.

I am still hoping that a compact CO2 laser unit can be bought to retrofit a
CNC type machine. I am not sure though if the CO2 laser head would be
mounted on the CNC machine instead of the router head or if it may be
necessary to use servo driven mirrors to direct the beam, similar to how
Stereo Lithography Machines move the laser beam and keep the laser head
stationary.

Anyone else with CO2 laser experience please jump in. This is a very
interesting topic and I know there are others out there with similar
interests that would benefit from this discussion.

Mario