ENERGY DOSE AND SPECIFIC CUTTING ENERGY IN CO₂ LASER CUTTING OF SOLID AND ENGINEERED WOOD MATERIALS
Keywords:
CO2 laser; laser cutting; dimensional tolerances; energy dose; specific energy.Abstract
The energy requirements of CO₂ laser cutting for three solid wood species (spruce, oak, and beech) and three engineered wood-based materials (pine plywood, beech plywood, and high-density fiberboard) are examined in this study. Energy dose (Ed) and specific cutting energy (Ec) were calculated for each material under selected laser power and feed rate combinations. The goal was to achieve a kerf width of 300 µm, consistent with the geometric tolerances of ISO 9013:2017. Results show that Ed increases with material density, while Ec reveals additional influences, including anatomical structure and bonding in engineered products. Oak exhibited the lowest Ec despite a relatively high density, while HDF and beech plywood showed the highest values. These findings suggest that material density can inform initial laser parameter selection, but cutting efficiency also depends on how energy interacts with structure and composition. The observed relationships between density and Ed, and between Ed and Ec, provide a framework for refining processing settings based on material characteristics.
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