CO2 laser cutting of calcareous stones

Portugal is one of the major European producers of natural stones. In the last decade, transformation of stones has been privileged in most of the companies and the quantity of finished product for exportation increased with a major added value. New technologies and processes have been investigated. For example, CO2 laser has been used for cutting, marking, and drilling. The major advantage of this tool is its flexibility, and thus, it improved the working environment significantly. This article presents a report on the use Of CO2 lasers in the cutting process of marbles and limestones. The cut quality was evaluated by adjusting the laser output power and assist gas type and pressure. The CO2 laser can be used as a feasible tool for cutting ornamental stones. Due to the economic reasons, it is specially adequate for cutting nonlinear shapes where conventional cutting tools, such as the diamond wires and saws, have limitations on both the shape and the dimensions to be cut.