OOH I WANT one!

[The Natural Philosopher]

Never mind an angle grinder..

[Broadback]

That is 2 potential buyers now!

[Jim K]

make that 3...

Jim K

[tony sayer]

Woss it cost to run/>???

[The Natural Philosopher]

Peanuts probably. The wood cutting lasers are 1-200W usually. I'd guess around a KW or two - maybe 3KW for that

Just the thing for decommisioning wind turbines...

Ah

"An industrial fibre laser was chosen for several reasons; it had to be suitable for both roles, it needed to be robust and compact, and appropriate in remote applications using optical fibre delivery of the laser beam power. The laser chosen has an output power of 5kW, adequate to demonstrate both processes, but the same type of laser is commercially available in powers up to 30kW."

Another great British company doing pioneering work.

[F Murtz]

Wots on the other end of the lead.

[Harry Bloomfield]

What happens if the optical fibre kinks or breaks lol

[harryagain]

You only have to think for a minute to realise the article is total BS.

[Dave Liquorice]

Easy enough to detect the level of returning energy and kill the laser if it get to high.

I'm more concerned about how the operator (particularly their eyes) are protected from the scattered laser light. They warn you not to look directly at tiddly laser pointers at just a few mW. The scatter from summat chucking out a few kW must be way above that level.

[Nightjar]

A visor that is opaque to the wavelength of the laser would seem to be the obvious answer.

Colin Bignell

[The Natural Philosopher]

you dont even have to think for a minute top realise that harry is spouting total BS.

TWI is the worlds leading company in terms of welding and cutting R & D.

They wouldnt risk their reputation on BS.

[The Natural Philosopher]

theres a worl of difference between looking at the sun, and at a wall illuminated by the sun.

Ive worked with laser cutters a bit. Its IR anyway, and focussed down so as to be at peak intensity at the cutting beam focus. . you dont need special gear at all.

This is only 10-20 times more powerful.

More risk from looking at the actual hot netal. Hence the standard welding gear mask and somee decent protectivce gear...but that of course is mandated when working in a piotentially mildly radoactive environment to prevent dust inhalation anyway.

[John Rumm]

What are the advantages over a conventional plasma cutter I wonder? More flexible working distance perhaps.

[dennis]

If it is a laser cutter rather than a laser heated plasma cutter (where they feed oxygen or similar to the head) then it won't blast dust about and there is less exhaust to filter before releasing it to the environment.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think its all about not kicking up too much crap when you do it. And its very local and very controllable - surgical almost.

So long as te dracnian legislation is in placem you can't simply blow up and bulldoze a nuclear power station. You have to take it to pieces. This is a fast and precise way of doiung that. with minmal side effects.

[John Rumm]

The video suggested that it uses compressed air to clear the kerf - which sounds pretty similar to a plasma cutter to me.

[Tim+]

The sparks seem to be flying away at a fair rate of knots though so I think there must be something flowing from the head.

Tim

[harryagain]

Obviously, you can't even think for a minute.

[Richard]

I'll bite. Educate me please.

[harryagain]

The picture depicts an operator with a "Buck Rogers" style "ray gun". Now every laser cutter I've seen works close up to the target. Why? Inverse square law. And demlotion implies muck floating about which would absorb laser energy. How would the operator keep the laser on target? How would the laser source be cooled (if it is in the hand device)?

In what way would a laser be superior to what we've got? Better off with an angle grinder. Or a thermal lance. Or oxy acetylene

This is the technology the militry weapon developers have been trying to build for decades as an energy weapon. They are all cunbersome and ineffective. They are still using guns.