Hello!
One question. I would like to cut a 5 mil aluminium sheet using laser (for smt stencils) using a laser. How can I calculate how much watts I need? Any idea? I am a complete noob in lasers
The only comment I can offer is do a simple search. I am considering getting a laser sooner than later. I have seen a number of tables showing suggested speed and power settings for different materials. Many times I also see the comment that the speed and power settings are ballpark figures. Your machine could need slightly different settings for best results. I will do a search to give you real numbers.
Aluminium is probanly the most power hungry material to cut by laser, read as expensive. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_cutting has a table of thickness to watts along with other info. As kyle said, have a good search for your particular circumstances.
thank you for the information!