On 8 Dec 2009 at 11:43, DED wrote:
> Forgive me if I'm stating the obvious, but power requirements should
> be determined by the target rock's melting point and heat capacity.
> That ANL laser was designed for shale and sandstone, which aren't as
> demanding as other rocks.
Actually, the melting point doesn't really matter as you are rarely
using a continuous beam, especially at lower powers. Instead you use
short, high energy pulses which fracture the rock or even cause bits
to explode.
So think "fast drill that doesn't wear out bits" rather than "carving
up rock"
--
Leonard Erickson (aka shadow)
shadow at shadowgard dot com