Laser Cutting

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ACE CORPORATE APPAREL
LASER CUTTING
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Laser cutting is a manufacturing method which
uses laser to cut material. Laser cutting design
has become very popular in fashion industry.
Laser cutting came into existence due to its
accuracy, clean cuts and sealed fabric edges
which prevent fraying. Laser cutting is used to
cut different types of clothes such as nylon,
silk, leather and polyester. Laser cutting does
not create any pressure on the fabric which means
no part of the cutting process requires anything
other than the laser to touch the fabric. The
most important thing in laser cutting is that no
intended marks are left on the fabric
particularly for delicate fabrics. Technique on
which the Laser Cutting works Working of the
laser cutting technique is the phase where the
things get technical. There are three main types
of laser which are used for laser cutting which
are as follows
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The CO2 Laser The neodymium Laser (Nd) The
Neodymium Yttrium Aluminium Garnet ( Nd-YAG)
laser. For most of the time the CO2 laser method
is the choice for cutting wearable fabrics. This
process generally includes a firing of high
energy laser that cuts by melting vaporizing or
burning a material. For precise cutting, laser
is made to pass through a tube like device which
is reflected by mirrors. As the beam reaches the
focal lens, it targets the laser to a single spot
on the chosen material which is being cut.
Adjustments are to be made to vary the amount of
material that is to be cut by the laser. A
concentrated beam of light is generated by the
CO2 laser, Nd laser and the Nd YAG laser.
Infrared light is produced by CO2 laser which is
easily absorbed by organic material which makes
it the first choice for cutting fabrics like
leather. On the other hand, Nd and Nd-Yag lasers
are solid state lasers that rely on crystals to
create the light beam. These high powered methods
are well suited for engraving, welding, cutting
and drilling metals.
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Benefits of Laser Cutting Low Power Consumption
50kw of power in total is consumed by typical
blanking press or turret punch where as 4kw laser
system uses just only 10kw total power.
  Safety Fiber laser are designed by keeping in
mind the safety features. Fiber laser are
enclosed in a light tight box which means that
they do not require any type of human
intervention during cutting. On the other hand,
blanking press has a large blade that moves
rapidly up and down and does not have any safety
features which prevents the hand getting in it. 
  Material Scrap Savings  Laser cut generally
requires a common outline which can be cut with a
single cut and that too with no scrap. A minimal
scrap skeleton may also be cut as small as 1/16
of an inch or even less for some materials.  
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 Cutting Properties Any strength of material can
be cut by the laser as long as the material can
be melted. Low maintenance Blanking press or
turret punch contains expensive tools which need
to be sharpened and stored regularly as different
parts are cut. In laser parts are changed by
changing programs and relatively require
inexpensive replacement parts like lenses and
nozzles Flexible Operation For each part of the
traditional blanking line has a tool which has a
fixed design and has a very high investment.
Whereas on the other hand turret punch is better
as it can be programmed for any shape and can be
used as a set of similar shapes. Designs are
limited to the tools available only but if
someone needs to change the designs then new tool
are to be purchased and it must be replaced on
the available slot on the turret. These tools are
less pricy, but still require regular
maintenance, which is a specialized task, so the
labor cost will be higher. Laser takes than an
hour to reprogram which cost approximately 60 to
apply the change.
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Improved edge Quality Presses and punches are
shearing through the material which stretches the
edge until it breaks. The top side of a part
typically has a rounded over edge, while the
bottom has a bunch of stretched ribbon that are
very sharp. These are sometimes required to be
cleaned off with an abrasive, which is a second
process and its add to the cost. In case of laser
when cut with a focused beam set for the
material, cuts the part with an edge like a
mirror surface, the top edge remain square and
the bottom edge is smooth to touch. Faster
changeover A laser can change programs
instantaneously, leading to time savings   and
allowing for smaller production runs to have
decreased price. A laser cutting technique is
the future of the fashion industry. So, people
should learn about the laser cutting techniques
so as to become a perfect fashion designer.