> At one point, I looked into getting a laser head and attaching it to
> my CNC mill to do my own laser cutting (mostly acrylic, but also some
> ~0.04"-thick metals), but could not find much info online re: what
> type and power of laser I needed.   One laser company (ULS)
> recommended their 30W all-in-one laser head for ~$4000.  I expect a
> coke can would require similar power.
>=20
> Anyway, it seems that there are some laser-knowledgeable people on
> this list, so if anyone knows where I can get info on different laser
> types and powers that I can use to cut acrylic, I'd love to know.
> Might pick up the search again.


The 30W laser would have been a YAG type, their wavelength is more suited t=
o
metals.  Actually, YAG really only does metals.

Ebay is full of $1,000 40W CO2 machines, they will do 3mm or 6mm acrylic
with no problems.  Thicker can be done with multiple passes, although edge
quality suffers.  For acrylic you need to move at a certain speed to get a
nice edge, a higher power laser means you can move faster, or cut thicker.
It's a fairly linear relationship.

Mild steel, say 1mm, can be done slowly & poorly with a 150W CO2.  The same
in stainless would need over 200W, aluminium about 10 times more.  Again
more power mean thicker cuts or faster speeds.

Guide here from someone selling lasers well out of the hobbyists reach:
http://www.laserresale.com/?fa=3Dapp.selecting#cutting

CO2 lasers output an IR beam, and metals like copper & aluminium are quite
good at reflecting that.  In fact low powered lasers may have polished
copper mirrors.

Most companies have CO2 lasers under 100W, hence 'no metals' is common.

Tony

--=20
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