Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Laser positioning? Gantry or lenses?

Abby,
That is not a trivial undertaking.

The one industrial laser cutter I have seen uses a combination of
positioning techniques. It is a 10' x 24' laser cutter that uses a 50
watt CO2 laser. The entire laser generator moves along the long X axis,
but there is a mirror system coupling the head to laser tube along the
short Y axis, so the laser tube does not move in the Y direction. The
system is used to cut aluminum, stainless and acrylic panels for custom
commercial refrigerator doors.

The thing I remember most about the system was the long line of 500
liter liquid nitrogen Dewars behind the machine. The LN2 was critical
to cool the focusing optics and to blow melted material from the cut
line, without promoting combustion. That technique might be problematic
with fabric that would blow around.

My biggest caution is that the invisible IR radiation at that power
level will take no prisoners. It only takes a few milliwatts to produce
permanent retinal burns, so even small reflections can deliver serious
damage. Be sure to wear appropriately dense wavelength specific eye
protection while you are setting up that sort of instrument.

Dave

Abby Katt wrote:

>A rather charming lady friend of mine has been asking about a machine to
>"cut out all kinds of fabrics from computer designs", since she does
>professional costuming, it's going to mean everything from silks to
>latex sheet (a nasty one to cut with mechanical tools), so I was
>thinking inert-gas/20W laser.
>
>