Hi guys, just a newbie here but curious about something...although I don't have, or expect to have a laser cutter anytime in the near future (though I really want one), some searching on google turned up no useful results for me. What I'm curious is this...what laser tube power (in watts) is required to cut a given thickness of metal?
I assume that (like my plasma cutter) the cutting speed is directly proportional to the amount of power for a given thickness of material (cut quality not withstanding), and that power requirements increase exponentially to maintain a given travel speed on a higher thickness of material (due to the heatsink effect of your useful heat being drawn away from the area you want to atomize), is this thinking correct?
Really what I'm looking for is this...i want to know what power would be necessary to cut 1/8" mild steel or stainless at a reasonable (not necessarily) fast clip, and be able to cut 1/4"-5/16" stainless or aluminum, even if at a rather slow speed.