The growing popularity of Laser cutting

Over recent years laser cutting technology has continued to advance with it now being a commonplace industry across the world. In industries where the manufacture of large, heavy or bulk materials laser cutting has now been implemented to increase precision but to also reduce the time it takes to create each specific item. At Yorkshire Laser & Fabrication, we supply laser cutting services to a wide range of industries throughout the region and the country.

With laser cutting technology constantly advancing and refining its precision skill, laser cutting is being adapted to a wider range of applications more and more frequently. Here’s a look at some of the common applications that our lasers are used for today.

Research and prototyping

No matter what the industry, laser cutting is being used more and more frequently in the development of new technologies. Due to the precise cutting lasers provide and the fast turnaround type, it allows for exact specifications to be developed through a prototyping stage. Once the prototype has been tested, a newer version with amendments can be made almost straightaway, ensuring that a new product can be introduced and approved quickly.

The benefits of laser cutting for prototyping includes:

• Clean and perfect cuts – no reworking necessary
• Laser cutting and engraving in a single operation
• No material fixation necessary – no breakage, less waste
• No chippings – so no cleaning of area around the machine necessary
• High degree of flexibility in the choice of contours – without any need for tool construction or changeover
• Little noise generation compared to other procedures

Medicine

Lasers produce very fine beams of light that allow for very precise cutting. This precision to less than a millimetre makes them ideal for use in medical situations, especially surgery, where they are already becoming increasingly common. One of the most common uses in the medical industry is for eye surgery, uses lasers quite a lot as they are ideal for cutting through soft materials with high precision. The latest laser technology also means that the lasers are able to cut precisely without damaging the surrounding tissue, which when working on the human body is essential.

Up until now, we would have had to put our faith in the steady hands and skills of a surgeon but now we rely on the control of the surgeon and the precision of lasers to accurately complete the procedure. This allows for precise surgery that we may previously have been reluctant to undertake.

Over the next coming years we are likely to see an increase in the use of lasers and an expansion on how and when lasers are used. Who would have thought a few decades ago that we would have been using lasers on the human body?

The growth in laser cutting will continue to advance, making them more powerful, easier to use and also more affordable. It may even not be long before laser cutting tools become commonplace in households around the world. Yorkshire Laser & Fabrication aim to be there to ensure all industries are supplied with the latest laser products.