Laser cutting of pulps

Abstract

Laser cutting offers unique possibilities for different production systems. So far the utilization has been most advanced in cutting of metal products. The laser has also been utilized for paper and board cutting in some specific applications. This study is performed within a national project in Finland about laser cutting of pulp, paper and board. The research is carried out with a Trumpf 2.7 kW HQ laser, with focal point diameter of 80 µm and a work cell designed and manufactured for the project. The study concentrates on the physical phenomena of laser cutting of different pulps. These experiments covered the effect of pulp type and weight per square meter (grammage g/m2). The experiments covered also the effect of laser parameters on the cutting speed and cut edge quality. By the experiments it can be seen that all of the variables have an effect on both the cutting speed and the cut quality.Laser cutting offers unique possibilities for different production systems. So far the utilization has been most advanced in cutting of metal products. The laser has also been utilized for paper and board cutting in some specific applications. This study is performed within a national project in Finland about laser cutting of pulp, paper and board. The research is carried out with a Trumpf 2.7 kW HQ laser, with focal point diameter of 80 µm and a work cell designed and manufactured for the project. The study concentrates on the physical phenomena of laser cutting of different pulps. These experiments covered the effect of pulp type and weight per square meter (grammage g/m2). The experiments covered also the effect of laser parameters on the cutting speed and cut edge quality. By the experiments it can be seen that all of the variables have an effect on both the cutting speed and the cut quality.