Continuous and Pulsed Laser Beam

Laser beams work in two ways- continuous and pulses. Continuous laser cutting uses a light beam for a long period without intermittent breaks. The pulsed mode uses high-energy laser beams for a short time. The compression of pulses allows for high energy density of the beam.

Who Invented Laser Cutting?

The earliest use of the laser cutting process dates back to the 1960s. Theodore Maiman invented laser technology in 1960. The application of this technology occurred in 1965 for making holes in diamond. The cutting process was quickly adopted for other applications. By the 1970s, laser cutting had become a commercial process for titanium cutting in the aerospace industry.

Development of Laser Cutting Technology

Laser cutting technology saw many quick developments since its invention in 1960. Elias Snitzer developed the concept of fiber lasers in 1963. However, it took two decades to refine this technology fully for commercial applications. Working for Bell Labs, Kumar Patel invented the CO2 laser in 1964. It was a very powerful laser with a continuous operating mode. It gained huge popularity quickly. The developments in the next few decades integrated laser cutting with another emerging technology- Computer Numerical Control (CNC).