Study of parameters of laser cutting of soft and hard wood species using the author's experimental setup based on a carbon dioxide laser

The experimental setup based on a carbon dioxide laser, developed and manufactured by the authors, is intended to study the processes and parameters of laser processing of wood related to identifying the most effective cutting modes for various wood species, determining the effect of density, hardness, texture and other distinctive features and properties of soft and hard wood species on the quality and energy consumption during laser processing. One of the key parameters of laser processing is the through-cut speed, which was determined for samples 40 mm wide and long and 4-8 mm thick with a thickness step of 1 mm for the following species: spruce, pine, birch, oak, maple, aspen. The speed values were found by calculating the ratio of the sample thickness to the average cutting time. In order to study the effect of laser radiation on the chemical composition of wood, the dynamics of the elemental composition of samples of various wood species was investigated depending on the received radiation dose from a carbon dioxide laser using a scanning electron microscope. Approximate energy consumption during laser cutting was estimated using a formula that included the parameters obtained during the experimental work: cutting length, hole diameter, laser power, laser efficiency, and through-cut time. The results of the study showed that the highest cutting speeds were observed for soft wood species with low density (spruce, pine, aspen), as opposed to hard wood species (birch, oak, maple). As the radiation dose increases for all the presented species, the percentage content of carbon and oxygen changes towards an increase in the former and a decrease in the latter. The highest energy consumption was recorded during maple processing (0.0009 kW*h). For soft wood species, significantly lower (approximately 2 times) energy consumption values were determined (0.0004-0.0005 kW*h). The conducted studies have shown that the corresponding adjustment of the cutting modes with a carbon dioxide laser can become a means of targeted change of the chemical composition of wood, energy consumption and the quality of its processing in accordance with modern technological requirements.