CAM is an acronym for Computer Aided Manufacturing.  This is a broad category that covers a large number of manufacturing techniques driven by CAD drawings and CNC (computer numerically controlled) machines.  Laser processing falls into this category of manufacturing.  CAM provides a level of quality and detail that is unattainable by traditional manufacturing techniques.

Cutting is a high power laser processing technique where the laser penetrates completely through the material.  Cutting requires vector graphics produced by a CAD or illustration program.  Raster graphics can be converted by Laser Edge to vector graphics upon request.

Dots per inch, or DPI, is a measure of the resolution of the laser engraving.  The Laser Edge Cutters laser is capable of engraving in 300, 600, and 1200 DPI resolutions.

Engraving is a low power laser processing technique where details are burned into the material at a shallow depth.  Engraving can be done at up to 1200 dpi.  Raster graphics are best for engraving, and can include anything from lines and text to photos and logos.

Kerf is the amount of material removed by the laser (see illustration in the image below).  Actual kerf depends on the material thickness and density.  Please see this table(need to insert link here) for some sample values.

Raster graphics are images composed of fixed colored pixels, such as a photo or a scanned drawing.  Raster graphics are best for engraving.  Most paint type programs (Paint, PhotoShop, Gimp, and PhotoPaint for example) use raster graphics.

See the illustration below for an basic comparison of raster and vector graphics.

Vector graphics are composed of scalable entities, such as lines, curves, circles, and text.  Vector graphics can be engraved or cut.  Most illustration type programs (CorelDraw and Illustrator for example) use vector graphics.

See the illustration below for an basic comparison of raster and vector graphics.