I'm sure this will be a ridiculous question for most...

[elpidi0526]

So...here's my question. How long does it take to laser-cut the holes? (Average times are okay. I realize that some holes are bigger than others--just looking for a ballpark figure.)

If anyone can help me out (esp. an actual employee of Spyderco), that would be awesome.

[sigh]...I'm a chemistry major and I have a moron of a teacher that thinks certain lasers can't cut through walls. [chuckling] Well, I wasn't trying to sound like a prick in class or anything but I told him that Spyderco (and someone correct me if I'm dead wrong on this one), for example, produces their trademark holes in the blades through laser cutting. I recently even requested and received a few of these holes (on the bottom of the cut-out holes you can actually see where the laser splatters the heated metal...very cool btw)--and I told him I'd bring him a few of the holes that lasers, yes lasers, happened to cut out.

Well, he tried to save face by stating that it would take an incredibly long time to cut out the holes with the lasers. (For those that care, I'm in an Instrumental Analysis class that analyzes how instruments used in chemistry research work, e.g., Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Gas Chromatography (GC), Mass Spectrometry (MS), etc.)

[SoCal Operator]

It can't take too long, or else they'd just drill out the holes the old fashioned way. My lack of machining knowledge may be showing here, but isn't the whole point laser cutting that it's fast?

[elpidi0526]

It can't take too long, or else they'd just drill out the holes the old fashioned way. My lack of machining knowledge may be showing here, but isn't the whole point laser cutting is that it's fast?

Hey, that's what I'm thinking too. It makes sense to me...they sell lots of knives--they need to make lots of knives. Therefore, the process should be cost-efficient and quick, is what I'm thinking. But since I didn't exactly know for sure how long the process takes, I figured I'd ask the question here on the forum and see if someone knew the answer, you know?

[SoCal Operator]

I'm sure you'll get the answer here, it's just a matter of waiting.

[cobrajoe]

I'm not exactly sure what spyderco uses exactly, but I have personally seen lasers that cut through various thicknesses of steel. If it took more than a second to cut the hole in a spydie blade, I would be surprised. I know blades are made out of high quality stainless steel, but the CNC type laser cutters are very quick. Also, I believe the entire blade is cut out with a laser, then it is ground and heat treated.

Here is a video of a CNC laser cutting through 10mm mild steel, and as you can see it goes through the nearly half inch steel quickly (I'd guess that the hole in the middle is nearly the same size as some spyder holes).

Also, if you really want to scare your teacher, tell him about the Boeing "Laser Gunship". It looks to have a megawatt class laser capable of taking out vehicles with a range of 10 to 20km. It looks like the article is a little old, so maybe they have actually done testing on this?

You can credit your teacher a little bit, there is no laser I know of that can cut through more than a baloon and still fit in your pocket.

EDIT: I found the evidence I needed. The entire blade (at least the ones made in Golden) is cut from a sheet of metal. A while back, Tazkristi held a contest where two winners got a leftover piece of S30V steel from manufacturing. From Taz:

Both are steel sheets which have had our blades laser cut out of them. You can see one sheet was used in production of the Military and one in production of the Native. Both sheets are CPM-S30V.

I also attached the pictures from the contest. (If that's not ok, feel free to delete them).

[TazKristi]

I guess your Professor's definition of "an incredibly long time" might be different, but it takes just under 5 seconds to cut out one of our holes.

Kristi

[elpidi0526]

I guess your Professor's definition of "an incredibly long time" might be different, but it takes just under 5 seconds to cut out one of our holes.

Kristi

AND THERE IT IS!!!

Under 5 seconds!!!

Thanks Kristi. Yeah, my teacher is a bona fide idiot. Just one of those guys that you stare at and wonder how in the world he ever got himself a Ph.D. (he couldn't have earned it.)

Thanks again Kristi!

And cobrajoe, thanks for the info, the video link and the pictures. Very cool.

[Lord vader]

Here is some info on laser cutting.http://www.thefabricator.com/LaserCutti ... cfm?ID=400

[cobrajoe]

No problem, One of my favorite times in college was the time we got to take a tour of the local custom metal shop. They had the sheetmetal lasers, rotational lasers (cuts stuff out of pipe and square tubing), CNC punches, all sorts of CNC mills, giant metal brakes, and all kinds of automated measuring devices. Also, they were having an open house and had a robot serving beer :D

I am somewhat surprised at how long it takes to cut the hole, but I guess the steel is really tough :D

[slice22358]

hey you don't happen to be cutlerylover on youtube do you?

[elpidi0526]

hey you don't happen to be cutlerylover on youtube do you?

Oh no. Cutlerylover is the man. I'm just a normal guy. But regarding the Spydie holes, I saw his video about his too...and truth be told, it was after watching that video that I decided to follow suit and snag some for myself from Spyderco. I just called them up and asked if I could have some. They were cool about it.

You can actually see them if you care to...just go on BladeForums.com. First click on the 'Manufacturers' link at the top of the home screen, then when the new screen pops up click on the 'Spyderco' link (just scroll down until you see it). And finally, just look up the thread labeled "Followed cutlerylover's lead and picked up a few Spydie holes...check out the pics!!" The last pic is my favorite.

So yeah, sorry to burst your bubble but I'm not the inimitable cutlerylover...just the lowly elpidi. :o

[topwater]

Tell em to research Plasma cutters, makes it all child's play :)

[jabba359]

Also, they were having an open house and had a robot serving beer :D

I think everybody needs one of those at work...

[FLYBYU44]

I used to work for a company that custom lasercut parts, it would take seconds to cut the hole and even the entire blade profile would take probably under 15-20 seconds to cut out. Our lasers would cut through 1/2" plate like butter, so maybe you professor shouldn't argue about things he knows nothing about.

[frogmorton11]

My Kopa has a very obvious helical tool mark winding through the hole. Sure looks like it was made backing a tool out of the hole after it was cut. I'm not sure all spyders are cut with lasers. Sal?

[sal]

No, not all of the makers have lasers. Some of the parts are stamped, pro-file ground and drilled.

sal

[carpdiem]

You know, if you *really* want to see something impressive, forget about the plasma torch and look up a "thermal lance".

In other news, I definitely work about fifty feet from a 10kW (or was it 50kW?) that'll go through steel like a hot knife through butter. Lasers... they cut stuff.

[hickster]

How about water jet tables? They use an abrasive media injected with the stream of extremely high pressure water. I've seen one of those at work...impressive! Very fast, very clean cuts.
May be less efficient with blade steel? Even in the annealed state?
hickster

[Brad S.]

Waterjet works just fine on blade steel. Both heat treated and non. Laser, just tends to be a little more accurate. Waterjet also tends to give you a angled cut, just ever so slightly.

[hickster]

Thanks Tricod!
...and you just can't get around the fact that laser just flat out sounds cool. :D
hickster