In Australia, laser cutting is now a commonplace industrial processing method that is used in all sorts of manufacturing and fabrication settings. The global market for this technology is worth billions. However, when most people think of laser cutters, they will imagine them being used for just a couple of reasons. Either they are being used to cut sections of sheet metal in highly precise ways to make components or they will be used to shape thermoplastics into products or parts. In fairness, laser cutters are primarily utilised by industry for these two reasons. Nevertheless, laser cutting is much more versatile than that. How else is it used today?

Paper Cutting

Although it is possible to make dies that will cut paper in certain ways, often to create ornate patterns, laser cutting requires much less set-up time and tooling costs. Basically, cut paper designs that manufacturers might want for greetings cards, gift boxes and so on can be sent to a laser cutter in a file and the process can begin within seconds of the paper being loaded into place. In fact, the process is so fast because multiple sheets of paper can be cut simultaneously so long as the same design is wanted throughout. Art paper, gift wrapping and even cardboard can all be processed in this fashion. The possibilities for packaging manufacturers are virtually endless. 

Textile Cutting

Although you might imagine that scissors are still the go-to tool in the textiles industry for cutting fabrics like denim and cotton, more accuracy can be achieved by laser cutting nowadays. Even delicate materials are suited to laser cutting, such as silk, felt and lace. Using a laser cutter for such fabrics often means cutting down on human errors and boosting productivity. What's more, textiles can be engraved with laser cutters, too. Fabrics can be etched into to create new patterns and even lettering. This technique is, therefore, ideal for branding clothes with company logos and so on.

Architectural Models

In the past, rendering a proposed development in three dimensions would take highly skilled modellers months or even years. These days, a computer-aided design of a building, bridge or even a whole city can be fed into a laser cutter which will then be able to produce a highly accurate representation within a few minutes. Not only are the results from this sort of laser cutting more pleasing to the eye but they can be produced for a fraction of the cost in timescales that were unheard of even a few years ago.

For more information, contact a laser cutting service.