Dieboard cutting is a classic CO2 laser application because of the laser’s ability to create extremely accurate and repeatable cut kerfs (widths) while following complex cut paths.

The dieboard manufacturing process begins by creating a cut through the dieboard to match the shape of the rule die blades. These blades must be held firmly in position, which is accomplished by making parallel-sided slot cuts in the wooden dieboard to exacting widths depending on the size of the die blades to be embedded in the dieboard. After the rule die blades are press-fitted into the profiles, the finished dieboard is ready for use.

In this particular dieboard cutting application, we were asked to cut circular shapes in 17-mm (0.67”) thick Baltic birch dieboard. To do this, we set-up the cutting head on our XY table with a 127 mm (5.0”) focal length lens that provides a 203-micron (0.008”) spot with a 6.35 mm (0.25”) depth of focus. In addition, we supplied 3.4 bar (50 PSI) of clean, dry air through the gas jet nozzle during cutting operations.

With a power level of 400 watts, we cut out 101.6-mm (4.0”) diameter circles at a speed of 0.51 meters per minute (20 in/min). Except for the initial beam entry point, top and bottom faces are clean with no charring or discoloration. Cut faces exhibit moderate charring, which is typical of wood cutting, but is further aggravated by the glue used in bonding the birch layers together. The parallel cut face has no taper, which demonstrates the laser’s ability to create and maintain a consistent kerf width through all 13 layers.

If you have recently chosen a new sail for your sailboat, yacht, or America’s Cup challenger, you know that modern sailcloth is manufactured using a variety of engineered materials and construction techniques far advanced from the simple sails of yesteryear. Today, sailcloth is generally constructed from woven polyester materials or high-performance laminates, where layers of film and polyester are glued and then bonded under extreme pressures to form composite, or laminated, sailcloth. The finished sail is coated with either a durable melamine thermoset resin to add bias stability or a urethane to reduce sail porosity.

Once it is ready to trim to finished shape, the sail material is cut out on a large-area flatbed laser cutting system. The polyester sail edge is sealed during the cutting process, which prevents fraying. To demonstrate the cut speed and resulting edge quality for several sailcloth fabrics, we set up our XY gantry system with a 63.5 mm (2.5”) optic that provides a 100-micron (0.004”) spot size with a 1.8 mm (0.07”) depth of focus. Clean, dry air (CDA) at a pressure of 1.4 bars (20 PSI) was chosen as the assist gas.

The woven sample with a melamine coating shown in the first photo measures 0.13-mm (0.005”) thick and was cut using 100 watts and 200 watts of power. Even at the 100 W power level, the cut speed of the woven polyester sailcloth exceeded 51 meters per minute (2000 inches/minute – IPM), which is the maximum speed of our table. The cut edge is clean and sealed with no discoloration.