Laser Cutting with Direct Diode Laser

In this paper a high-dynamic cutting machine equipped with a recently developed 2 kW diode laser source is introduced. The beam profile and characteristics of the diode laser are compared with those of a typical 4 kW CO2 and a 2 kW fibre laser source. The electric energy consumption is measured for the three sources under identical cutting conditions. Several samples are presented, illustrating the practicality of direct diode lasers for high-quality sheet metal cutting at industrially relevant speeds. An optimization method has beenused to obtain well-optimized cutting parameters for a 1 mm thick stainless steel sheet.