Abstract
Nonmetals, especially wooden materials are considered suitable for processing by CO2 laser. In the present study, cutting experiments were carried out on kraft paper and filter paper made of cellulose fiber which is one of the main elements of wood. The experimental factors were the laser power, defocusing distance, flow rate of assistant gas and feed speed. The efficiency of CO2 laser cutting was evaluated on the basis of external appearance of sections and measurements of kerf width.
The results are summarized as follows;
(1) It was observed that the pyrolysis-like residue adhered on the both cut edges as solid droplets. The color and quantity of the solid droplets varied largely with the condition of laser irradiation.
(2) The kerf width varied largely with the above factors as illustrated in Figs. 6-10.
(3) The minimum power needed to cut filter or kraft paper was about 2.5W when the feed speed was 2m/min.
(4) The laser energy required to destroy a unit volume of filter paper was about 0.23J/mm3. The calculation showed that the net energy expended for the paper cutting was only 0.2-8.7% of the total irradiated energy of CO2 laser.
