LASER BEAM MACHINING
• A Laser (Light Amplication by Stimulated Emission
of Radiation) is a device which produces a beam of
light.
• Laser light can be very powerful source of power.
• In LBM, exceedingly high electromagnetic energy
densities (of the order of 105 kW/mm2) are
focused on the surface of the work piece to
remove metal by melting and evaporation.
• Laser is an electromagnetic radiation. It produces
monochromatic light which is in the form of an
almost collimated beam.
Laser-beam machining
• (LBM) is accomplished by precisely manipulating a
beam of coherent light to vaporize unwanted
material. LBM is particularly suited to making
accurately placed holes. It can be used to perform
precision micromachining on all microelectronic
substrates such as ceramic, silicon, diamond, and
graphite. Examples of microelectronic
micromachining include cutting, scribing & drilling all
substrates, trimming any hybrid resistors, patterning
displays of glass or plastic and trace cutting on
semiconductor wafers and chips.
• Laser Beam Machining (LBM) is a
machining process in which the
work material is melted and
vaporized by means of an intense,
monochromatic beam of light called
the laser.
The heat produced in the small area where
the laser beam strikes can melt almost any
of the known materials.
This property of laser is now being made
use in machining difficult-to-machine
materials in engineering industries.
PRODUCTION OF PHOTONS
(PROTONS)
Photons travelling parallel to the axis of the tube
containing the lasing materials continue in the same
direction until they strike the end of the crystal,
where they are reflected back.
Photons travelling in any other direction other than
this will escape from the lasing material.
In the meantime, the photons moving back and forth
inside the lasing material, parallel to its axis,
continue to build until the intensity of the radiation
is great enough.
This stimulated energy has the same wavelength as
the stimulating or pumping energy source and is in
phase with it. It has a very low divergence and has
the ability to be focused on a very small area of
around 0.05 mm diameter.
What is Laser Machining?
• Laser machining has been introduced in different
ways. For example, there is laser cutting, laser welding, laser
drilling, laser heat-treating, laser scoring and laser scribing.
Each of these ways has a different definition from each
other according to the task that will be performed in the
process. Since lasers are most used in industrial applications,
a good definition will be “ The process to cut, weld, drill,
score, scribe materials at a very high speed and a very
precise specifications.” This definition gives an extended
area that allows each task or process that the laser
performs.
TYPES OF LASERS
• SOLID STATE PULSED LASER
• GAS LASER
GAS LASER
GAS LASER
The gas laser system uses three gases, nitrogen, carbon
dioxide and helium flowing through a glass discharge
tube.
Nitrogen functions as an intermediary between electrical
energy and the vibrational energy of CO2 molecules.
The two properly aligned cavity mirrors direct the
randomly emitted radiations in such a way as to sustain
this lasing action, and thus a high intensity laser beam is
obtained.
SOLID STATE PULSED LASER
The laser materials used in this process are ruby,
neodymium glass (Nd-glass) and neodymium-yttrium
aluminium garnet (Nd-YAG).
Of these Nd-glass and Nd-YAG are widely used in
machining applications.
These laser materials are fabricated into rods and
their ends finished to high optical tolerances.
The method used to inject energy into the material is
by generating a very intense solid state pulsed laser
head light flux which can be absorbed by these laser
materials and then converted into a collimated laser
beam.
SOLID STATE PULSED LASER
To permit laser beam machining the following
requirements are to be fulfilled:
The power supplied must be greater than that which is
conducted away by thermal conduction and radiation.
The absorption of laser radiation is influenced by the
emission wavelength of laser, composition of the
material, surface quality of the workpiece and the
transition from solid to liquid state or gaseous state.
Metallic materials absorb 5-15% of the incident
radiation, while non-metallic materials (glass, quartz,
plastics) generally absorb between 50 and 96% of the
incident radiation.
Types of Laser Machining
• Laser Cutting Process
• Laser Drilling Process
• Laser Heat-Treating Process
• Laser Scoring Process
• Laser Scribing Process
Laser Cutting Process
• This process is defined as a machining process
in which a laser beam passes over the material
being cut. The beam vaporizes the material
and the path of the beam determines the
shape that is cut. There are two variables that
should be considered in this process which
are: the specification of the object that will be
cut and the speed of cutting.
Laser Drilling Process
• Laser drilling is the process of repeatedly
pulsing focused laser energy at a specific
material. The drill beam can drill in very
difficult locations or areas of materials and the
holes that are made by the laser drilling
process can be drilled with reliable and
consistently good in quality or performance.
Laser Heat-Treating Process
• A surface alteration process created to change
the microstructure of metals by controlled
heating and cooling. The laser, because of its
ability to pinpoint focus its energy, can heat
treat small sections or strips of material
without affecting the metallurgical properties
of the surrounding area.
Laser Scoring Process
• Laser scoring is a process of utilizing a
focused spot of laser energy to remove
material to specified depth. Laser scoring is
useful in designing a crease to be torn or
bent easily as with tear away checks, folders,
cards, etc.
Laser Scribing Process
• Laser scribing is a process in which lines and
characters of different fonts can be produced on
materials. Unlike laser engraving, the line being
laser scribed is only as wide as a single laser beam
and is set to a specific tolerance depth. The line
consists of a series of small, closely spaced holes in
the substrate that is produced by laser energy
pulses. Ceramics, glass and wood are common laser
scribed products.
MACHINING RATE
Laser can be used for welding as well as for
drilling and cutting different contours.
The material removal rate in LBM is
comparatively high when compared to the
other non-conventional machining process
and is of the order of 4000 mm3/hr.
ADVANTAGES
There is no direct contact between tool (laser) and
workpiece.
Machining of any material including non-metals is
possible, irrespective of their hardness and
brittleness.
Heat affected zone is small (0.1 mm). Extremely small
holes can be machined.
The preiphery of the work piece has a good finish
when compared to press tools
There is no tool wear problem.
Soft materials like rubber and plastics can be
machined.
LIMITATIONS
The process is limited to thin sheet plates
(depth limitation). The machined holes are
not round and straight for higher thickness.
Certain materials like fibre-glass reinforced
materials, phenolics, vinyls, etc., cannot be
worked by laser as these materials burn.
Life of the flash lamp is short.
Effective safety procedures are required.
Cost is high.
APPLICATION
Sheet metal trimming.
Blanking.
Machining very small holes.
Cutting complex profiles in thin, hard
materials like ceramics.
It is also used in partial cutting or
engraving.
Safety on Laser Machining
• Working on Laser machines while the door open
may cause damages in the eyes and burn hands.
Therefore, a user should close the door of the
machine before starts working.
• Lasers produce coherent light which when looked at
appears to the eye to have come from a very
distant source. Consequently, the image formed on
the retina by a laser source is always incredibly
small and therefore of very high power density.
Safety on Laser Machining
• If a laser product is being used to process product, for
example cutting, welding and surface treatments, there may
also be chemical toxicity risk to address. The processing of
organic materials such as thermoplastics is a particular risk
that needs careful assessment in the context of local
exhaust extraction (LEV) and personal protective equipment
(PPE) provision.
• The wavelengths) of emitted radiation is determined by and
a characteristic of the chemical composition of the ‘lasing’
medium. For example, carbon dioxide lasers emit in the far
infrared at a wavelength of 10.6 microns. Some media are
capable of being made to ‘lase’ at several wavelengths,
organic dye lasers being one such example.
ANY QUESTIONS ?
