Laser Cutting

What Is Laser Cutting?

Laser cutting is a precision, non-contact process that uses a focused laser beam to cut parts with extremely high edge quality, narrow kerf widths, and tight dimensional tolerances.

Why Laser Cutting Delivers High Precision

Laser cutting is a non-contact process, making it well suited for small, delicate, or thin-walled components and other mechanically sensitive parts, including:

Laser cutting flexible tube, laser tube cutting, laser micro cutting, micro cutting
  • Small-diameter tubes
  • Thin-walled components
  • Elastic or mechanically delicate materials
  • Parts requiring burr-free edges and minimal post-processing

Because there is no physical tooling, laser cutting eliminates issues related to tool wear, deflection, and mechanically induced stress.

How Laser Cutting Achieves High Precision

Laser cutting systems focus the laser beam to extremely small spot sizes — down to approximately 10 microns. This enables:

  • Very narrow kerf widths
  • Exceptional feature resolution
  • High dimensional accuracy
  • Clean edge quality with minimal or no burrs

This level of control makes laser cutting ideal for small and intricate components requiring the highest precision.

Laser Sources Used for Precision Laser Cutting

A variety of laser sources can be used for precision laser cutting, depending on the application requirements. Each laser type offers unique processing capabilities:

Yb: Fiber Lasers

Ytterbium fiber lasers provide excellent beam quality and stability, making them well suited for precision cutting of metals and small tubular components with high repeatability.

Ultrafast (Femtosecond) Lasers

Femtosecond lasers enable cutting with virtually no heat input into the part, which is critical for heat-sensitive materials and high-precision applications.

Femtosecond laser cutting can:
  • Cut both metals and plastics
  • Produce burr-free edges
  • Maintain material integrity even in challenging alloys such as nitinol

These characteristics make ultrafast lasers particularly valuable where thermal effects must be minimized or eliminated entirely.

Materials Suitable for Precision Laser Cutting

Depending on the laser source and process configuration, laser cutting can be applied to a wide range of materials, including:

  • Stainless steel and other metals
  • Shape-memory alloys such as nitinol
  • Plastics and polymers
  • Other materials requiring tight thermal and mechanical control

Material selection and laser choice are closely matched to the desired edge quality, feature size, and thermal sensitivity of the part.

Where Precision Laser Cutting Is Used

Laser cutting is selected for applications that demand extreme precision and material integrity, including:

  • Medical device tubing and components
  • Implantable and minimally invasive devices
  • Precision sensor and instrumentation components
  • Aerospace and high-performance tubular parts
  • Advanced electronics and micro-mechanical assemblies

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