How to Cut a with a Diamond Laser
- 1). Use safety precautions. Laser beams can cause injury to the eyes and severe burns to exposed skin, so it's vital to use them with proper safety gear. Laser goggles are designed with various layers of lenses with different degrees of thickness and colors. You will have to find out the exact wavelength of your laser to purchase the right goggles. Also, exposed skin can be an issue, so asbestos gloves or heavy work wear is recommended to avoid exposure to carcinogens. Make sure the area is clear of any flammable materials.
- 2). Program a cutting code. Using a computer-assisted design program (AutoCAD) you will need to create a "cut" and "score" level to set the power and speed of your laser. On CAD, these two settings are represented by colors, so input your "cut" design into the red level and your "score" design into the green level. Depending on the program attached to the cutter itself, go into "file" and select "plot," then choose the appropriate cutter (left or right). You will get a warning box, click "OK", go to "properties" and select "custom properties," then choose your specific file.
- 3). Check you materials for damage. Sometimes working with diamond lasers can result in damage to your materials called "remelt." Remelt occurs when excess material around the cut sags, producing a rough or uneven surface. This is more likely to occur in thinner materials, so you may want to consider adding a water-quenching system if possible. Look for scoring lines that can occur when the cutting speed is too slow or to high. At lower speeds, scoring lines are practically parallel to the main cut, on higher speeds they curve off at an angle. Also, check for cratering, a periodically uneven width of the cutting line, which happens when the oxygen pressure is too high.
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