Laser cutting technology applied to diamond cutting process

The introduction of laser cutting technology has revolutionised the traditional way of cutting diamonds. Traditional mechanical cutting methods, such as the use of cleavers or diamond saws, generate a great deal of stress and fatigue during the cutting process, which can easily lead to diamond damage. In contrast, laser cutting can optimise the optical properties of diamonds through unparalleled precision and innovation, making them more sparkling and eye-catching.

Diamond laser cutting is an advanced diamond processing technology that uses a high power density laser beam to irradiate the material to be cut, causing the material to rapidly heat up to a vaporisation temperature, thus enabling precise cutting. This technology not only improves cutting accuracy, but also reduces diamond losses and processing costs.

The optical system requirements for laser cutting of diamonds are very stringent, as diamonds are an extremely hard and highly thermally conductive material, requiring high power, high energy, high beam quality, and many other conditions to achieve efficient and precise cutting.

A laser cutting machine typically consists of several core components: a laser, a cutting head, a motion platform and a control system. Of these, the laser and cutting head are the most critical components, with commonly used laser types such as infrared lasers (e.g. 1064nm) or ultraviolet lasers (e.g. 355nm). These lasers are capable of producing high-intensity beams with a single wavelength or colour for different types of diamond cutting.

Diamond laser cutting head can be used with UV precision cutting head, the cutting head is also a key part of laser cutting, which determines the focusing effect of the beam. For hard materials such as diamonds, high quality optics and lenses are required to ensure that the laser beam can be accurately focussed to the cutting position and maintain a high energy density.

Cooling System: Laser cutting of diamonds generates a lot of heat and requires the use of an effective cooling system to maintain a stable operating temperature of the laser and optical components to avoid overheating and damage.

The Matson Optronics 355 UV precision cutting head is used for diamond cutting, carbon fibre cutting and silicon/semiconductor material cutting. Its main features are:

 1. Collimation XY direction adjustable

 2. Precision manual focusing mechanism

 3. Whole body water-cooled heat dissipation

 4. Completely sealed internal structure

 5. Drawer-type structure, easy to replace

 6. Multi-slice diffraction limit design

 7. Equipped with nozzle parts

Laser cutting technology not only improves the efficiency and quality of diamond processing, it also has environmental advantages. It eliminates the loss of diamonds in traditional "sawing" methods, reducing the cost of diamond processing and minimising noise and dust emissions. In addition, laser cutting allows for intricate cutting, shaping and faceting, delivering the desired aesthetics with unparalleled precision.

Finally, as technology continues to advance and market demand increases, the diamond processing industry will continue to develop in the direction of efficiency, precision and intelligence. Further optimisation and innovation in laser technology will make diamond processing more efficient and precise, and at the same time bring more new application scenarios and market opportunities.