Abstract
The cutting width is decided by laser power output, cutting speed, focal length, and thermal reaction of materials. In general, a laser beam with a given spot diameter does not cut with exactly the same width as the spot diameter. However, the difference in spot diameter corresponds to the difference in kerf width. The spot diameters induced by the theoretical calculation and the width of cut achieved by experiment were compared. Under certain conditions, the spot diameters corresponded to the width of cut in the experiment. With several differences in cutting width, the behaviors of gas-flow in the kerf were investigated using computer simulations. A fast gas-flow rate in the kerf was shown to facilitate high-speed cutting. Based on these calculations, the influence of cutting width on high-speed cutting was clarified.
