Beams of Might

There may not be much variety among laser wattage categories, but there are an assortment of approaches to cutting accuracy and efficiency.

Data Technology's LaserBlade double-pass process, for instance, is said to save time and power and minimize pollution by using a narrow 1 point beam to make two cuts on either side of the area to be removed, allowing a small rectangular slice to drop out. Upcoming developments include KerfVision, a camera mounted behind the laser that follows the beam to check and adjust the quality of the cut.