Development of lasers with high beam quality is growing fast. New single-mode fiber lasers are already available with multiple kilowatts and they make it possible to operate with laser from long distances with small spot size. This makes a new technology possible: Remote cutting. Remote cutting is a laser cutting process in which laser beam removes material without cutting gas. Typically the distance between optics and the metal sheet is longer than in traditional laser cutting. High beam quality makes the long distance possible which allows high cutting speed by using scanner optics. Process doesn’t include cutting gas at all so gas nozzle isn’t needed either. Remote cutting is partially vaporizing and melting cutting process. Melted and vaporized material is removed from the kerf by vapor pressure in layers. This means that laser beam must be focused in the kerf several times to cut through. The laser which is being used in remote cutting must have high beam quality and be well focusable so the intensity will be high enough to vaporize the material. By using scanner technique, remote cutting is very flexible cutting process with high cutting speed.
Remote cutting