Cutting Wood and Wood-Base Products with a Multikilowatt C02 Laser

A jet-assisted, coaxial, CO2 laser with a power output of up to 5 kilowatts (kw) was used to cut varieties of lumber, plywood, and particleboard. In general, as thickness decreased and power increased, cutting speed increased exponentially. As density decreased, cutting speed increased linearly. Douglas-fir lumber, 1/2 and 1-1/2 inches thick, cut at 125 and 14.6 feet per minute (fpm) respectively at a 5-kw power level. Particleboard 1/2-inch thick cut at 37.5 fpm at a 4-kw power level. Both green and dry 3/4-inch-thick red oak cut at 16.7 fpm using 3 kw power. Kerf width ranged from 0.018 to 0.031 inch. Cutting performance of the multikilowatt laser, reported here, is compared to the performance of a 1/4-kw laser used to cut similar materials in previous studies. The multikilowatt laser cut more rapidly in all materials than did the 1/4-kw laser. The multikilowatt laser produced less browning and char with some materials. Phenolic- and urea-bonded plywoods which had cut at different speeds with the 1/4-kw laser were found to cut at the same speed with the multikilowatt laser.

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