Conventional tiles are a traditional materials that dates from ancient Egypt, and are used to cover floors, walls and roofs, etc. Until recently, the dimension of economical tiles were limited to a 300mm square. However, in 1985 the authers, et al., developed a method of manufacturing extra-large tiles having a dimension of 6 × 1000 × 3000 mm3. This was achieved by combining approximately 50% of inorganic fiber (wollastonite fiber) in the raw material of the tile. Upsizing of the tiles is effective in preventing contamination as the tile seams are reduced. Applications of these large tiles include scientific experiment tables, kitchen walls, bathroom walls, exterior walls and floors, etc. However, when cutting the large tiles with a diamond cutter, the corners often chip at the final point, and thus cutting of complicated shapes or complicated curves is difficult. The vibration that occurs during cutting is also a great factor in cracks. A laser processing machine was introduced as a cutting method, and in combination with an NC controller, we tested cutting of free-shaped large tiles. However, molten dross of a diameter of 0.5 to 1.0mm formed when cutting the large tile, and a highly precise cutting was not possible. The seam dimension cannot be guaranteed when the tiles are laid with the dross adhered. Thus, we used CO2 gas Laser having a maximum power of 3000W, and obtained the optimum cutting conditions for large tiles. Our conclusion on our study regarding the cutting conditions for ceremics are discussed below.
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