Faculty of Engineering

University of Kragujevac

English 2 – seminar work

Application of lasers for cutting paper

Student : Professor :

Nikola Janković 404/2017 dr Stefanović Sandra

Kragujevac, 2018.
 Contents
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1
2. Laser ....................................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Laser development ........................................................................................................... 2
2.2 Types of laser ................................................................................................................... 3
2.2.1 Gas laser ........................................................................................................................ 5
2.2.2 Liquid lasers .................................................................................................................. 6
2.2.3 Solid lasers .................................................................................................................... 7
3. Technological laser processing operations ............................................................................. 8
3.1 Principle of laser treatment .............................................................................................. 8
3.2. Laser cutting .................................................................................................................... 9
4. Specificity of cutting paper by laser ..................................................................................... 11
4.1 Paper material ................................................................................................................. 11
4.2. Comparison of laser cuts and mechanically cut edges .................................................. 13
5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 13
6. Literature .............................................................................................................................. 14
 1. Introduction
Due to the growing demand in the world and the domestic market, it is necessary to meet the
requirements regarding quality, reducing the time required for production, reducing prices and
the ability to meet increasingly complex customer requirements. In order to fulfill the
requirements, it is aimed at introducing new processing technologies. Laser processing is in
this sense a modern technology that soon became dominant in almost all industries. In many
areas, the laser treatment process is the most accurate and economical method available. Of
all the procedures, laser cutting is the most widespread. It is possible to cut almost all the
materials with the laser. (Todorović S., 2004)

Problems with the application of laser paper cutting lie in the insufficient knowledge of the
application of laser techniques. Very few researchers published their papers on the quality of
laser cutting paper processing. (Brandt M., Harvey E. 2004)

The aim of this final paper is to familiarize with the laser processing technology, with a
special note on the laser cutting of paper materials. (Brandt M., Harvey E. 2004)

The second chapter gives a history of the development of lasers and the basic types of lasers.

The third chapter presents the laser principle and laser cutting operations.

The fourth chapter presents the specificities of cutting paper with a laser as well as basic
information concerning structure, thermal decomposition and color change under the
influence of heat. This chapter also shows a comparison with the basic methods of cutting
paper.

At the end of the final paper, a conclusion was given and a review of the literature used.

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 2. Laser
2.1 Laser development

In 1917, in his work On On Quantum Theory of Radiation, Albert Einstein gave a theoretical
concept and described the theoretical basics of light emission simulation and predicted the
invention of lasers and its ancestors. Maser is a device that functions in the same way as a
laser only in the second frequency domain. (Todorović S., 2004)

Maser is the source of microwaves, while laser is the source of electromagnetic waves in the
infrared and visible spectrum. (Todorović S., 2004)

The light emission in the visible area was theoretically done by H.J. Zeiger, J. P.Gordon,
C.H.Townes in 1958. C.H.Townes, N.Basov and A.Prokhorov received the Nobel Prize in
Physics in 1964. (Todorović S., 2004)

Figure 1. Maiman with the first laser (Todorović S., 2004)

The first laser was made in 1960 by T.H.Maiman, employed at the Huges Researdh
Laboratory in Malibu, California (Figure 1). This laser emitted a wavelength of 694 nm
wavelength in the pulse mode, and the emission was achieved by stimulated emission from a
ruby crystal induced by a flashlight. (Todorović S., 2004)

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 2.2 Types of laser
Laser construction depends on the type of laser itself, however, all lasers consist of almost the
same parts (Figure 2). Parts made of laser can be divided into:

• Laser Injection System,

• Working or active substance i

• Resonator. (Todorović S., 2004)

Figure 2. Basic parts of the laser (Todorović S., 2004)

The Initiative System is the system by which the active substance is translated into an
inferior state. The rebellion system can be implemented in several ways: using flash lamps, by
means of an electrical discharge system through a gas or by another laser. Based on the
working substance, it is chosen which type of initiative is most suitable for application.
(Todorović S., 2004)

A working or active environment represents an environment that fills the space in which the
photon multiplication is played. The active environment itself can be in different aggregate
states. As an active environment, a large number of compounds are used today, while in the
previous period several materials that were tested were used. To obtain better efficiency, the
active substance is placed in the optical capacitor. Depending on which substance is selected,
a single-frequency or multi-frequency laser can be obtained which can be adjusted as needed.
(Todorović S., 2004)

The resonator is a part of the device that at the beginning of the laser generation tackled the
most problems with the construction. Today, there are several basic types of resonators used.
The main role is to prolong the radiation path through the active substance. In order not to use

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large-scale lasers, resonators are used, which allow a sufficiently long path of radiation
without the need to increase the dimensions of the laser. The resonator is the place where the
active substance is located, and at the ends there are mirrors. (Todorović S., 2004)

Laser types:

All lasers can be divided into several ways:

 According to the mode of operation, they are divided into:
 Pulse lasers
 Continuous lasers (Todorović S., 2004)
 According to the aggregate state of the working substance, they are divided into:
 Gas lasers
 Liquid lasers
 Solid lasers (Todorović S., 2004)
 According to the state of the working substance is divided into:
 Atomic lasers
 Molecular lasers
 Ionian lasers
 Free - electron lasers (Todorović S., 2004)
Classifying lasers in groups is very difficult because groups overlap with each other and
besides these groups there are many subgroups for laser division. (Todorović S., 2004)
Pulsed lasers are lasers that do not provide a continuous laser beam, but a beam is made on
impulses. The first laser is a Ruby laser. The characteristic of these lasers is very high energy
in a short time interval. The inpulse time is much shorter than one second. This group of
lasers can be divided into:
 lasers whose pulse lasts longer than a nanosecond, this is applied to some of the
older lasers of high power;
 lasers with very short impulses around a single picosecond, these lasers have a
huge force per unit area. (Todorović S., 2004)
Continuous lasers are lasers that emit a continuous laser beam for more than one second.
These lasers have high mean strength and are also called military lasers, because they are used
to destroy missiles for military purposes. These lasers have been in use since 1966.
(Todorović S., 2004)

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Gas lasers are lasers whose working environment is in gaseous state. This group has its own
subgroup:
 Atomic gas lasers (He - No, Cs, ...)
 Molecular gas lasers (Ar, Kr, ...)
 Ion gas gases (CO2, N2, HeBr,)
 Chemical lasers (Todorović S., 2004)
Liquid lasers have a working environment in liquid state, can be divided into:
 Lasers with inorganic compounds;
 Lasers with organic colors. (Todorović S., 2004)
Solid lasers are lasers whose working substance has a solid state, can be divided into:
 Crystalline lasers (Ruby, YAG, ..);
 Amorphous lasers (glass, plastic, ...). (Todorović S., 2004)

2.2.1 Gas laser

Gas lasers represent all lasers with an active medium in the gaseous aggregate state,
regardless of whether the gas is ionic, atomic or molecular. These types of lasers are very
often applicable because they are easy to use and also are simple constructions.
Representatives of this type usually consist of a glass or ceramic tube in which gas is located.
These lasers can operate in two modes: pulse or continuous, depending on the design. Gases
in relation to other bodies have exactly defined energy levels of atoms, so there is a possibility
of switching atoms from one energy level to another. The gas density is relatively small, so
there is no dispersion of light and distortion of the light air. By the fact that the density is
small, the mirrors and the resonator can be placed at a greater distance and better air
circulation. But in addition to its advantages and gases, they have certain disadvantages: the
density of gases is considerably lower than the density of solid bodies, so large volumes of
excited atoms can not be obtained, as is the case with solid bodies. Gas pressure for gas lasers
usually ranges from 10-3 to 10-2 Pa, (Lazić M., 2002)

CO2 laser

This laser was invented by K. Patel in 1964, when through a glass tube filled with CO2, it
passed the electricity. The schematic view of the CO2 laser is given in Figure 3. On this
occasion, he realized that with CO2 it is possible to get a laser beam that is very weak. In
order to improve the characteristics of the laser beam he tried to combine different gases. As
the combination that gave the best results, the combination of CO2, N2, and He in the ratio 1:
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1: 8 turned out to be. In such a mixture, helium has the role of helping to empty lower energy
levels while N2 helps with CO2 emissions. These lasers feature a high coefficient of useful
effect. The laser beam has a wavelength which is ten times larger than the glass and YAG
lasers. Since these lasers have great power, they have found their application in the metal
industry, such as: drilling, cutting, welding, thermal treatment, application of hard coatings,
etc. (Lazić M., 2002)

Figure 3. Schematic representation of CO2 laser (Lazić M., 2002)

Lasers can work in an impulsive and continuous mode. If the laser is in a continuous power
regime of 15 kW, that same laser in the pulse mode would be between 20-50 kW.
This type of transitions from one mode to the other can be easily carried out if you replace
one fixed mirror with a rotating mirror. (Lazić M., 2002)

2.2.2 Liquid lasers

Liquid lasers are lasers in which the working environment is in liquid aggregate state. The
fluids used are organic solvents and solutions of inorganic compounds. (Lazić M., 2002)
In lasers based on liquid, the same concentration of active particles as in lasers based on solid
bodies is achieved. The liquid is optically more homogeneous than the solid body, so the
losses in the liquids are lower than in the fleshy bodies. The cooling of the liquid is carried out
by circulation, which represents a very efficient cooling method. The disadvantage of these
lasers is the instability of the solution over time, but after 1-2 months, deposits are created that
influence the reduction of radiation. (Lazić M., 2002)
Inorganic solvent based lasers can only operate in the pulse mode, while organic-based lasers
can work in both pulse and continuous mode. Laser initiation is done by optical pumping.
(Lazić M., 2002)
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 2.2.3 Solid lasers
Solid lasers are lasers in which the working environment is in solid state at room temperature.
The first laser of solid state was Maimann's Ruby laser, which was a pulse type. Today's
lasers use systems with three or four energy levels, they have great power and can be of a
continuous and impulse type. These lasers have been widely used in many areas, some of
which are: metal industry, medicine - surgery, various measurements, scientific research. The
strongest lasers today are solid state lasers, and this is a pulse type. Today there are many
different compounds that are used as an active environment. The most commonly used is
neodymium (Nd) which appears as an admixture to various complex compounds. The most
famous is the Nd: YAG laser, where the YAG represents: the Irium Aluminum Grenade
(Y3Al5O12) that has a much lower laser beam than Ruby's laser, is much more powerful and
works in a near infrared region. For continuous laser lasers, a xenon or krypton flash lamp is
used. For impulse lasers, a xenon flashlight is used where the operation is stabilized with the
switching circuit. In recent years, a very powerful YAG laser has been experimentally used as
a rocket engine, but for now only with extra light small projectiles. (Todorović S., 2004)
Ruby laser
The solid-laser laser is the most famous Ruby laser. It consists of a base of crystal synthetic
rubin (Al2O3) in the form of a cylinder, with the addition of 0.5% trovalent chromium (Cr
+++). The schematic representation of this laser is given in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Ruby laser scheme (Lazić M., 2002)

Rubin is a mineral pale pink color to a bright red color, with a red color of the wavelength. A
Ruby laser can work in two modes: pulse and continuous mode. Due to the high heating and
low degree of utilization of 1% in the continuous regime, rubin lasers are most commonly
used in the inulin regimen. Lasers used in continuous mode have a special cooling system.
This laser is used for drilling small holes in various materials and for spot welding. Ruby

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Laser is the first laser that began to be used in drilling diamonds and tools for pulling thin
wire. (Todorović S., 2004)

3. Technological laser processing operations

Laser air focused on the working diameter of 0.15 ÷ 0.2 mm has become a universal tool that
can virtually cut almost all known materials (and therefore paper). Unlike conventional tools,
it has no form, so it does not have to be specially made for production and does not impose
costs related to storage, sharpening and adjustment. (Nedić B., Lazić M. 2007).

3.1 Principle of laser treatment

Laser development has created conditions for the development of various laser treatment
processes. By directing the laser beam to the subject of processing it is possible to perform a
large number of operations (Figure 5), such as drilling, cutting, heat treatment, welding,
engraving, etc. Thanks to the high focusing of the laser beam (10-6 mm2), the high energy
density (108 kW / mm2), the possibilities of simple laser beam management, laser treatment
is gaining in importance. (Nedić B., Lazić M. 2007).

Figure 5. Principal laser beam forming scheme (Nedić B., Lazić M. 2007)

When laser beam is touched with the subject of processing on its surface and in layers at a
certain depth, various physical processes are taking place. Under the influence of laser
radiation, intensive surface heating of materials, melting and evaporation of the materials of
the processing object occurs. (Nedić B., Lazić M. 2007).

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 3.2. Laser cutting
Characteristics of laser cutting, on which they depend: productivity, processing accuracy,
processing quality, depth and cutting width are defined by the following parameters:
 Impulse power P, W,
 laser beam density qc, W / cm2,
 gas pressure p, bar,
 type of gas,
 the focal point size d, mm,
 cutting speed V, mm / s,
 the accuracy of laser beam shifting according to the predicted contour, etc. (Brandt
M., Harvey E. 2004)

The laser produces a coherent light beam of high power that is characterized by justice and
small dimensions. In contact with the object of processing, if energy is greater than the ability
of the material to reflect, transmit or burst energy, there is an absorption of light energy that
turns to heat energy. (Brandt M., Harvey E. 2004)

Figure 6. Laser cutting process

In the case of a large rise in temperature, there is a local evaporation of the material, which
depends on the heat generated by the heat and leads to the formation of a hole or aperture in
the processing object. If the laser beam is moving or moving the object of the processing, a
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laser cutting process occurs In addition to thermal energy, lasers also use an auxiliary gas that
has the task of removing combustion products, helping in the combustion process, to protect
the lenses from penetrating evaporation. For cutting non-metals, i.e. in this case of paper, the
most commonly used neutral gas is N2 or inert gas Ar, and can also air.Figure 6 shows the
process of laser cutting. In many cases, an unpacked laser beam of high-power industrial
lasers, there is no adequate energy to do more than just heat the irradiated surface material. If
the beam is guided through the appropriate focusing lens, the energy is concentrated to a
surface less than 0.25 mm in diameter, which produces power greater than 106W, which is
sufficient to melt many materials, and therefore paper and cardboard that do not belong to the
hard materials. (Brandt M., Harvey E. 2004)

Processing modes:

Laser power

Laser power is the most important feature of choosing a laser machine. For certain types of
materials (paper, cardboard, etc.), much less power is needed to achieve cutting than in other
types of materials (steel, diamond, copper, etc.). (Brandt M., 2004)

Cutting speed

The utilization of the processing depends directly on the cutting speed. Cutting speed is the
second most important parameter for laser cutting and depends on the factors: laser power,
mod, light spot size, type and thickness of the material that is the object of processing. (Brandt
M., 2004)

Auxiliary gas

The auxiliary gas function for laser cutting is to protect lenses and help eliminate laser-
generated products. For most metals, it is used as gas oxygen, because it helps the exothermic
reaction. While other non-metal materials are recommended, use N2 and Ar are
recommended. The use of oxygen as auxiliary gas increases the total energy and therefore it is
possible to achieve higher cutting speeds. In addition to the type of gas that can be used, it is
very important and the cleanness of the gas in order to achieve a quality cut, (Brandt M.,
2004)

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 4. Specificity of cutting paper by laser
Laser cutting of paper materials was first shown in the mid-1970s. However, the cost of laser
equipment has been expensive for a long time compared to conventional paper and plate
cutting methods, such as mechanical cutting using tool blades and cutting using a water jet.
Laser cutting of wood-based materials became more popular during the 90s due to lower cost
of laser equipment costs. One of the first successful applications of laser technology on paper
material was the cutting of a paper filter in a cigarette. Today, by reducing the cost of
equipment and developing laser technology, laser cutting of paper has become more accepted
and more efficient. (Stepanov A. 2015)

Research on the application of laser cutting in paper making machines can be of interest to the
paper industry. Due to market demand, the speed and performance of paper making machines
and new technological solutions must be increased, which can be laser cutting in this case.
Laser manufacturers are very interested in large-volume markets, such as the paper industry.
(Stepanov A. 2015)

4.1 Paper material

Paper Structure

The papers are usually described as materials with a smooth and flat surface that has a flat
structure. However, a microscopic view reveals that the structure of paper materials is not
homogeneous. In fact, the paper has a complex structure consisting of a network of fibers
originating in wood or similar sources of wood. Additionally, filler particles (usually coaline,
calcium carbonate or other mineral components), various chemical materials for the
production of paper and raw material components, such as lignin, are present in the paper
structure. The air filled air occupies the free space between the fibers. Some paper materials,
especially printing papers, are coated with one or more thin layers of mineral pigments
(usually kaolin, calcium carbonate, other minerals). Depending on the ultimate purpose or
cost savings, the product can also be produced by replacing high quality chemical pulp with
cheap mechanical pulp or recycled pulp in the middle layer of the cathron. Therefore, various
paper materials can be considered as very heterogeneous products. (Stepanov A. 2015)

The paper leaf is usually slim and at the microscopic level the fiber network resembles a flat
2D network. However, when pores are taken between the fibers, the fiber network can be
understood as a 3D mesh, where the mesh structure is filled with pores and air voids as

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shown. This special structure of paper materials strongly affects the optical properties of the
paper materials itself team and the interaction between laser beam and paper. (Stepanov A.
2015)

Thermal decomposition

Heat transfer in paper material passes through conduction, convection and radiation. Behavior
of paper material under the influence of heat can be divided into five phases before the
temperature level reaches 500˚C when a complete degradation occurs. These phases are
shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Degradation of paper (Stepanov A. 2015)

Figure 7 shows the critical points (sr) corresponding to the phases. Different concentrations
correspond to approximately 100, 300, 360, 440 ° C. The first phase corresponds to the
weight loss of evaporated paper. Weight loss significantly increases in the second phase. The
third stage of degradation results in the greatest loss of weight. The loss of mass in the fourth
and fifth stages is considerably lower. (Stepanov A. 2015)

Color change caused by heat

Coloring paper is one of the most basic problems that must be solved in order to allow the use
of lasers in the process of producing paper materials. Examples of color change due to
thermal influence on paper are shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8. represents a color change when the paper was exposed to a heat effect in the range
of 350-480 ˚ C. The position (a1) shows us when the temperature reaches 350 ˚ C on the paper
is marked by the yellowing of the paper.

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 Figure 8. Examples of color change due to thermal impact on paper (Stepanov A. 2015)

The critical temperature is 400 ˚C, when the color change is severe, representing the positions
(a2, a3, a4). It was found that the color change does not indicate a deterioration in strength.
(Stepanov A. 2015)

4.2. Comparison of laser cuts and mechanically cut edges

In Figure 10, we can see the advantages of laser cutting in relation to mechanical cutting. The
amount of dust (solid particles) that is released during laser cutting is less than when cutting
paper mechanically.

а) б)
Figure 9. Cutting edges: a) laser cutting edge, b) mechanical cutting edge (A. Stepanov,
2015.)

Laser cutting enables better cutting edge quality, while cutting edge quality in mechanical
cutting is considerably less due to the application of mechanical force. (Stepanov A. 2015)

5. Conclusion
The discovery, and the very application of lasers in processing technologies, accelerates the
development of technologies, as in the present so probably in the future. Laser applications
enable faster, easier and more efficient processing of almost all materials, as well as paper.
Laser acceleration is characterized by high precision and precision machining, high
processing speed, high quality processed surface, and a wide range of materials that can be
processed.

Under the action of the laser beam, there are no structural and chemical changes in the
processing object. As for cutting paper materials, laser cutting takes precedence over the basic
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ways of cutting paper due to greater precision and significantly narrow cuts, as well as higher
productivity. The precision of laser cutting is better because the laser air is not wasted over
time. Laser cutting of paper materials reduces the possibility of deformation. There is no high
concentration of heat around the cut, which is very important in paper materials because they
are susceptible to combustion.

6. References

1. Brandt M., Harvey E. (2004). Laser cutting: from first principles to the state of the
art, United Kingdom
2. Lazić M. (2002). Konvencionalni postupci obrade, Mašinski fakultet u Kragujevcu
3. Nedić B., Lazić M. (2007). Proizvodne tehnologije, Mašinski fakultet u Kragujevcu
4. Stepanov A. (2015). Feasibility of industrial implementation of laser cutting intro
paper making machines, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Fnland
5. Todorović S. (2004). Istorijat razvoja lasera, PMF- odsek za fiziku u Novom Sadu

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