Cutting commercial and industrial carpet is another great CO2 laser application. In many cases, synthetic carpet is cut with little or no charring, and heat generated by the laser acts to seal edges to prevent fraying. Many specialized carpet installations in motor coaches, aircraft, and other small square-footage applications benefit from the precision and convenience of having the carpet precut on a large-area flatbed laser cutting system. Using a CAD file of the floor plan, the laser cutter can follow the outline of walls, appliances, and cabinetry – even making cutouts for table support posts and seat mounting rails as required.

The first photo shows a section of carpet with a support post cutout trepanned in the center. The carpet fibers are fused by the laser cutting process, which prevents fraying—a common problem when carpet is mechanically cut. The second photo illustrates the cleanly cut edge of the cutout section. The blend of fibers in this carpet exhibit no signs of melting or charring.

To cut this particular carpet sample, measuring 5.1 millimeters (0.2”) thick, we installed a 127 mm (5.0”) positive-meniscus focusing lens on our XY table. This lens provides a 200-micron (0.008”) spot with a 6.35 mm (0.25”) depth of field. For gas assist, we applied 2.8 bar (40 PSI) of clean, dry air to force vaporized debris down through the cut channel away from the fabric.

Using these cutting parameters, we achieved cut speeds of 6.35 meters per minute (250 inches/minute—IPM) with 100 watts of power and 12.7 meters/minute (500 IPM) with 200 watts of power. In both cases, the carpet was cleanly cut with no sign of melting or charring.

For this TPO automotive component, the task was to trim edges and openings in the thermoformed part at a minimum rate of 2.2 meters per minute (87 inches/minute). The laser setup for our applications test consisted of a Firestar f400 laser with beam delivery through a set of XY flying optics into a cutting head. The cutting head holds a 101.6 mm (4.0”) focusing lens with a 150-micron (0.006”) focused spot and a 4.3 mm (0.17”) depth of focus. Nitrogen assist gas at 2.4 bar (35 PSI) is delivered coaxially with the beam, which serves to protect the lens and blow vaporized debris through the cut kerf. The thermoformed TPO, having a consistent thickness of 3.2 mm (0.125”), was cut using 400 watts of power at a cut speed of 3.8 meters per minute (150 inches/minute)—a speed increase of 56% over the original requirement.