Cutorama offers high powered C02 laser cutting, laser engraving and laser etching services. Powerful Co2, or carbon dioxide lasers offer exceptionally clean cuts on materials 0.25" or less. Unlike a CNC that has a physical cutting bit which plows though material like a router or saw blade, the laser no physical contact with the material to be cut. Instead a high powered beam of light generated in a tube is bounced with a series of mirrors to the focal lens which applies the concentrated energy onto the surface of the stock. The power setting and feed speed determine the depth of cut. If the goal is to just etch, low power and faster speeds would be utilized. If the objective is to cut completely though the material then higher power with slower speeds would do. If the material is thicker than .125" than multiple passes might be necessary to keep from burning the edges of the cuts. Since the cutter does not have any drag in the material the laser gantry is made if much lighter material as opposed to the mass of a CNC gantry. This allows the laser gantry to move at a much faster speed than a CNC gantry.
