Optimisation of CO2 Laser Technological Parameters and Their Impact on the Surface Quality of Cut Wood

This paper discusses cutting beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) using a CO2 laser and optimising its feed speed and laser power concerning the roughness of the cut surface and the kerf width. The roughness, defined by the parameters Ra, Rz, Rv, and Rp, and the kerf width changed with varying technological parameters of the CO2 laser—feed speed and laser power. The lowest roughness was achieved at 50% laser power and a 15 mm·s−1 feed speed, while the highest roughness was reached at 50% and 30 mm·s−1. The lowest kerf width was achieved at 50% laser power and a feed speed of 15 mm·s−1 on both the upper and lower sides and vice versa. The result of the experiment was the creation of second-degree polynomial regression models, from which the optimal values of the technological parameters of the CO2 laser for cutting wood were determined for surface roughness and kerf width. The achieved accuracy of the models was 98.01% for the kerf width on the upper side, 95.95% for the kerf width on the lower side, 82.71% for the Ra parameter and 85.44% for the Rz parameter.