ULS Blog

Why Top Speed is Not the Most Important Factor When Selecting a Laser System

ULS Raster Speed Comparison with Competitors
January 2018

The top speed motors can reach rarely influences the performance of a laser system. This is because of factors such as the material characteristics and the number of curves and corners in the design file that limit the laser processing speed. Therefore the motors seldom reach their rated speed. The amount of laser power available and the sophistication of the motion control system are much more important factors for optimum productivity.

  • When cutting thicker materials like plastic, wood, and leather, the cutting speed is limited by the laser power. Increasing laser power does increase the laser cutting speed. However even with the maximum available laser power, the motors seldom reach 100% of their rated speed. ULS laser sources and Rapid Reconfiguration™ technology enable you to select the ideal laser power for each material you process.  





  • Even when cutting very thin materials like paper, operating the motors at 100% speed is not practical. Whenever the cut path changes direction (curves and corners), the motors need to slow down to avoid chatter and vibration. This is where a sophisticated motion system provides more benefit than a higher top speed. The ULS motion control system is an advanced path planner that evaluates every vector path and plans the optimum speed and acceleration for every segment of each path. The ULS path planner provides superior productivity in comparison to other laser systems.