[HH] limitations of laser cutting

[Bill Bogstad]

On Sun, Apr 12, 2015 at 8:18 PM, Tom Metro <tmetro+hhacking at gmail.com> wrote:
> Bill Bogstad wrote:
>> What are the pros and cons of  traditional milling (cutting edges
>> requiring physical contact) versus laser micro-milling (i.e. laser
>> ablation with a pulsed laser)?
>
> My understanding is that the reason why you hear the term "laser
> engraving" far more often than "laser cutting" is that lasers powerful
> enough to cut are still really expensive. The machine in this thread I
> think maxes out at cutting thin balsa wood.
>
> In contrast, the milling head can handle wood, aluminum, brass, and if
> you go slow enough, some steel.
>
> Laser cutting tends to burn the edges and leave a rougher cut than some
> other processes.

>From the wikipedia article on laser ablation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_ablation

"Very short laser pulses remove material so quickly that the
surrounding material absorbs very little heat, so laser drilling can
be done on delicate or heat-sensitive materials, including tooth
enamel (laser dentistry):"

Now it may be that lasers with this intensity are too expensive.
Still if it is being used for dentistry,
they can't be that expensive.   According to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_laser

"Use of the dental laser remains limited, with cost and effectiveness
being the primary barriers. The cost of a dental laser ranges from
$4,000 to $50,000, where a pneumatic dental drill costs between $200
and $500. The lasers are also incapable of performing some routine
dental operations"

$4,000 isn't cheap, but not out of reach either.   Perhaps people just
haven't tried it yet.   Or it takes too long to remove appreciable
material.

Bill Bogstad