Potential applications of a 50 W CO2 laser
Abstract
Characterization of a CW CO2 laser having an oscillator-amplifier configuration is performed. The block diagram of the experimental setup is shown. The oscillator used is a slow-axial-flow CW CO2 laser capable of generating stable output power up to 50 Watts at a current of 40 mA and total gas pressure of 27 torr. The amplifier tube used is 1.2 m long and 0.8 cm in diameter fitted with two zinc selenide flat windows. The potential application of the CW CO2 laser to materials processing is investigated. Important parameters in materials processing is also studied. The output beam is focused to a small spot size and is able to drill and cut nonmetallic materials such as paper, cardboard, wood, textile, leather and plexiglass. Moreover, it was able to melt lead solder. The cuts produced have narrow kerfs and have charred and rough edges.
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