Wood working lasers are optimally suited for laser engraving and laser cutting wood and timber, such as decorative items, artistic craft-work, souvenirs, Christmas decorations, gifts, architectural models, and for wood inlays. This including materials of plywood, MDF, Balsa Wood, and many other wood types.

Q1: How can wood be cut or engraved with a laser?

Personalization and individualization are often the most important when cutting or engraving wood with the laser. Text or lines are applied to photo frames to increase their value; photographs or even logos can be realized with incredible detail with the laser. Using the laser provides the user with extreme flexibility and the ability to refine the woods in a very high quality.

Q2: Can any type of wood be cut and engraved with the laser?

As you may know, wood is a natural material, the laser user must consider various characteristics, including the density and the resin content when working with wood. Soft wood types, such as Balsa wood, require a lower laser power and can be cut at a higher speed. Hard wood, as an example of dense wood types, on the other hand, requires a higher laser power. When working with MDF, which consists of glued wood fibers, recommends the use of compressed air.

Q3: Does the wood burn during laser cutting?

The laser will produce a temperature increase that is higher than the sublimation temperature of wood. The “suddenly evaporated” wood is visible in the form of smoke escaping at a fast rate. This smoke also transports the introduced heat away from the wood. Consequently, there is only relatively low thermal stress on the material near the cutting clearance. By accurate focusing and selecting the appropriate optics and by supplying compressed air, high-quality cuts can be produced. The cutting edges with their brown color can often be used effectively in the design.

Q4: Do I have to fixate the material on the working surface?

No. The laser does not exert any pressure on the wood during the process; clamping or any other type of fixation is therefore not required. Simply insert the work piece and start the laser process. This saves time and money during the preparation of the material. When milling wood, on the other hand, the boards must be clamped in position and must often be fixated by a vacuum.

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