Laser Cutting Glossary — Industrial Terminology Reference

Industrial laser cutting terminology used in KASU product specs, buyer guides, and case studies. Definitions follow ISO/IEC laser industry conventions. Updated 2026-06-27 by KASU engineering team.

Laser Types

CO2 Laser: Gas laser using carbon-dioxide as the lasing medium, emitting a 10.6 micrometer (μm) infrared beam. Best for non-metallic materials: acrylic, wood, leather, fabric, paper, MDF. Typical power range 40W–600W in industrial cutters.
Fiber Laser: Solid-state laser where the gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare earth elements (typically ytterbium). Emits 1.06μm beam, ideal for metals (stainless steel, mild steel, aluminum, brass). Power range 1kW–6kW+ for industrial cutting.
Galvo Laser: Galvanometer-driven laser system where two mirrors steer the beam at very high speed (up to 7000mm/s). Used for marking, engraving, and high-speed pattern cutting on small areas. Common in CO2-RF, fiber, and UV variants.
Diode Laser: Semiconductor-based laser using gallium-arsenide diodes. Compact, lower power (1W–80W), wavelengths 405–980nm. Primarily hobby-grade for engraving wood and dark plastics; rarely used in industrial cutting.

Key Specifications

Laser Power (W): The optical output of the laser source measured in watts. Higher power cuts thicker material faster. 100W CO2 cuts 8mm acrylic at ~25mm/s; 1kW fiber cuts 3mm mild steel at ~3m/min.
Cutting Speed: Linear travel rate while cutting, in millimeters per second (mm/s) or meters per minute (m/min). Depends on material, thickness, and laser power.
Repeatability (Precision): The smallest reproducible positioning error of the motion system, typically ±0.05mm on industrial cutters with servo motors and linear guides. Critical for stacked sheet cutting and precision parts.
Kerf: The width of material removed by the laser beam. Typical 0.1–0.3mm for CO2 lasers, 0.05–0.15mm for fiber lasers. Affects part-fit tolerance and must be compensated in nesting software.
Resolution (DPI): Engraving detail, measured in dots per inch. 500 DPI is standard for industrial laser engravers; 1000 DPI for photorealistic engraving on stone or anodized aluminum.
Duty Cycle: The percentage of time a laser can operate at full power during a cycle. Industrial CO2 tubes typically support 100% duty cycle in 24/7 production; some galvo systems are rated at 80%.
Focal Length: The distance from the focus lens to the focal point. Short focal length (1.5″) gives the smallest spot for fine engraving; long focal length (4″) for thick material cutting.
Beam Spot Size: The diameter of the focused laser beam at the work surface. 0.1–0.3mm for CO2, 0.02–0.1mm for fiber. Smaller spot = finer detail and narrower kerf.

Machine Components

Laser Tube: The glass or RF-metal sealed enclosure where CO2 lasing occurs. Glass tubes (RECI, EFR, Yongli) cost less but have 6–12 month lifetime. RF metal tubes (Coherent, Synrad) last 30,000+ hours.
CCD Vision System: Camera-based contour detection that locates printed patterns or registration marks on material before cutting. KASU KX Series uses 4-corner CCD; KD Series uses one large overhead camera. Essential for printed textile and digital print cutting.
Honeycomb Table: A flat aluminum honeycomb work surface that supports thin material (paper, fabric, vinyl) without contact marks. Allows underside venting and reduces flashback burn on lower edge.
Blade Knife Table: Cutting bed with thin parallel blades that minimize contact area, ideal for cutting acrylic, MDF, and other rigid plate without leaving table marks.
Chiller: Closed-loop water cooling unit that keeps CO2 laser tubes at constant temperature (typically 18–25°C). Critical for tube life and beam quality. Industrial CO2 cutters require dedicated chillers (S&A CW-5200, CW-5000).
Air Assist: Compressed air stream coaxial with the laser beam that blows debris and combustion products away from the cut. Prevents flame-up, improves edge quality, and extends lens life. 3–8 bar typical.
Exhaust / Fume Extractor: Forced-air system that removes laser cutting fumes from the work area. Industrial cutters require HEPA + activated-carbon filtration for indoor use to meet OSHA / EN 689 air-quality standards.
Motion System (X/Y/Z): Linear motion stages that position the laser head. Industrial systems use servo motors with closed-loop encoders on linear guides for ±0.05mm repeatability. Belt-driven gantries are common; lead-screw Z-axes for height control.
Laser Power Supply (LPS): High-voltage DC converter that drives the CO2 tube (typically 25–35 kV). Quality power supplies (HY, MyJG, RuiDa) prevent tube damage and provide PWM modulation for engraving.

Process Types

Cutting (Through-Cut): Full-thickness material removal where the laser beam penetrates the workpiece. Performed in vector mode (following lines), typically at lower speed than engraving.
Engraving (Raster): Surface ablation pixel-by-pixel, like an inkjet printer. Used for photographs, logos, dense fills. Quality depends on DPI, power, and material reflectance.
Marking: Permanent surface alteration without removing material — color change, oxidation, or annealing on metals. Common with fiber lasers on stainless steel for serial numbers, QR codes, traceability.
Scoring / Etching: Shallow vector cut that grooves but does not penetrate the material. Used for fold lines on cardboard packaging or perforations on textile.
Vector vs Raster: Vector mode follows line paths (used for cutting and outlines); raster mode fills regions pixel-by-pixel (used for engraving). Most jobs combine both.
Multi-Pass: Cutting the same path multiple times at lower power to penetrate thick material without overheating. Common for 10–25mm acrylic on lower-power CO2 cutters.

Materials

Acrylic (PMMA / Plexiglas): Thermoplastic that laser-cuts with flame-polished glass-like edges (CO2 only — fiber lasers transmit through it). 1–25mm thicknesses common in signage, displays, and POS applications.
MDF (Medium-Density Fiberboard): Engineered wood panel that cuts cleanly with CO2 lasers. Releases formaldehyde fumes — requires good ventilation. Common for furniture prototyping and POS displays.
Felt: Non-woven textile that laser-cuts with sealed edges (no fraying). Common in fashion, automotive interiors, and industrial gaskets. Avoid PVC-backed felt — releases chlorine.
Lace / Embroidery: Delicate fabric requiring high-precision vision contour cutting. KASU KX/KD camera-vision cutters auto-detect the embroidered pattern and cut around it. Used in lingerie, bridal, sportswear labels.

File Formats

DXF: AutoCAD Drawing Exchange Format. Vector format with layers — laser controller maps layers to cutting parameters (power, speed, pass count).
AI / PDF: Adobe Illustrator native and PDF vector formats. Standard for design-driven workflows in signage and packaging. Convert to DXF or import directly in RDWorks / LightBurn.
PLT / HPGL: HP Graphics Language plotter format, legacy industrial standard still used by RuiDa controllers. Vector-only.
G-code: CNC machine instruction language. Some fiber laser cutters with motion controllers (e.g., GRBL-based) accept G-code; CO2 cutters typically use proprietary controller files (.rd, .gcode).

Standards & Certifications

CE Marking: European Conformity mark indicating compliance with EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU, and EMC Directive 2014/30/EU. Required for sale in EU/EEA. KASU machines: CE-certified.
FDA Laser Class: US FDA classification by exposure risk: Class 1 (enclosed, eye-safe), Class 4 (open beam, eye damage risk). Industrial laser cutters are typically Class 4 in operation; KASU offers Class 1 enclosed “Safe-Cover” variants for office/retail-front use.
EN ISO 11553: International safety standard for laser-processing machines. Specifies interlocks, beam-stop mechanisms, fume extraction, and operator training requirements. KASU machines comply.
RoHS: Restriction of Hazardous Substances (EU Directive 2011/65/EU). Caps lead, mercury, cadmium, and other heavy metals in electrical equipment. Applies to all KASU machines sold in EU.
ISPM-15: International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 — heat-treatment of wood packaging for international shipping. KASU export crates are ISPM-15-stamped to comply with import customs in 180+ countries.

Trade & Shipping Terms

Incoterms 2020: Standard trade terms published by the International Chamber of Commerce that define where the seller’s responsibility ends and the buyer’s begins — who arranges carriage, who carries the risk at each point, and who clears customs. They do not cover payment, ownership, or what happens if the goods are defective; those sit in the contract.
FOB — Free On Board: Seller delivers the goods on board the vessel at the named port of shipment; risk passes to the buyer at that point, and the buyer arranges and pays the main carriage and import clearance. Applies to sea and inland-waterway transport only. KASU quotes default to FOB Shanghai.
CFR — Cost and Freight: Seller pays the cost and freight to the named destination port, but risk still passes to the buyer once the goods are on board at origin. That split — seller pays freight, buyer carries risk in transit — is the single most misread point in CFR quotations. Sea and inland waterway only.
CIF — Cost, Insurance and Freight: CFR plus marine insurance arranged by the seller to the named destination port. The insurance required under Incoterms is minimum cover, so buyers with high-value or fragile consignments often arrange additional cover of their own. Sea and inland waterway only.
DDP — Delivered Duty Paid: Seller bears all costs and risks to the named destination, including import duties, taxes and clearance. It puts the maximum obligation on the seller and requires the seller to be able to clear customs in the buyer’s country, which is not possible in every market.
Proforma Invoice (PI): A pre-shipment document setting out the agreed machine configuration, quantity, trade term, currency and consignee details. It is what a buyer’s procurement or finance team normally uses to raise an internal approval, and it is the document that governs an order when its terms differ from anything published on a website.
Commercial Invoice: The customs-facing document declaring the goods, value and parties to the transaction. Issued at shipment and used by the importer’s broker for clearance, alongside the packing list.
Packing List: Document listing crate count, dimensions, net and gross weight and the contents of each package. Used for customs clearance, for booking the right container or air freight, and for checking the shipment on arrival before signing off delivery.
HS Code: Harmonised System code — the international commodity classification used to assess duty. A supplier can share the code it normally declares under as a reference, but the final classification is determined by the importer and their customs broker under local rules, and it can differ between countries for the same machine.
Certificate of Origin (CO): Document certifying the country in which the goods were manufactured, sometimes required for import clearance or to claim a preferential duty rate under a trade agreement. Requested from the supplier before shipment, not after.
BOM — Bill of Materials: The itemised list of parts making up a specific machine configuration. For a distributor a configured BOM is also the basis of a local spare-parts stocking list, because it names exactly which optics, drives and consumables that build uses.
MOQ — Minimum Order Quantity: The smallest order a supplier will accept for a given item or service. Relevant to branded and customised machines, where MOQ decides whether own-brand supply is realistic for a distributor starting small.
OEM / ODM: OEM covers supply of an existing machine under the buyer’s brand — logo, colours, multi-language labelling. ODM goes further into structural design changes such as bed size, feeder type, or safety-cover configuration for a specific application.

Need a term clarified or added? Email [email protected] — we update this glossary regularly based on buyer questions.