In addition to being used as a technique for marking, engraving and welding, lasers are also often used for cutting materials based on three different principles: vaporization, fusion or combustion.
In all three cases, the cutting process is triggered and maintained thanks to the energy that the laser beam is capable of concentrating in one small point. Based on the type of laser, the type of material and the power levels being employed, any one of the mechanisms may prevail over the others.
Laser cutting operations produce fumes that can generate fine dusts with a particle size of even less than 1 micron when cooled, thus requiring extremely low filtration speeds.