Abstract: A mathematical model is founded to estimate heat conduction loss in laser cutting. By solving the energy balance equation in the cutting front, simple and accurate correlations are found for the conduction loss and thickness of the heat-affected zone (HAZ). These variables are functions only of Peclet number (Pe), which may be thought of as a dimensionless cutting speed. In order to improve the adaptability, dimensionless parameters are used to predict the cutting speed in laser cutting. The predictions show good coincidence with the experimental results.

Key words: Cutting speed, Heat affected zone, Heat conduction loss, Laser cutting