High voltage power supply for rotary die laser cutting system

A rotary die laser cutting system (RDLCS) processes several types of material; materials include all kind of plastics, thin films, papers, plywood, cardboard and thin metals. Applications include engraving, marking names, logos, designs, and patterns. Our RDLCS contains eighteen CO/sub 2/ laser tubes, the number of tubes used in each application can vary depending on the type of material and the application. Each laser tube is fed by a 350 W power supply, the ON/OFF state of the power supply and laser tube are controlled by a computer and a programmable logic controller (PLC). This paper describes the design and implementation of the power supply for each of the CO/sub 2/ laser tubes used in the RDLCS. The power supply must be able to supply to the CO/sub 2/ laser tube a voltage of 8 kV and a current of 30 mA. The power supply was designed for ensuring the compliance with the EN 61000-3-2, and contains a single phase passive power-factor-corrected rectifier, a half-bridge inverter and a high-voltage multiplier.