LASER BEAM

MACHINING

SRINIVAS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

 INTRODUCTION
•The word laser implies light amplification by
stimulated emission of radiation. Laser is an
electro-magnetic radiation.

•It produces monochromatic light, which is in the

form of an collimated beam.

•LBM is based on conversion of electrical energy in

to light energy and then in to thermal energy.

•In this process, a laser beam is focused on the

surface of the work piece (in air or vacuum) to
remove metal by melting and evaporation.
•Laser beam machining is a process in which the
work piece material is melted and vaporized by
means of an intense, monochromatic beam of light
called laser.

•The heat produced in the small area where the

laser beam strikes can melt any of the known
material.

•This property of laser is now being made use in

machining difficult-to-machine material in
engineering industries.

•Laser beam machining is preferred to perform

micro machining on all difficult to cut materials
like ceramic, diamond, glass etc.
 Basic Principle of LBM
• Laser beam machining is a process in which the
work piece material is melted and vaporized by
means of an intense, monochromatic beam of
light.

• The laser is a device, which produces a light

beam with various characteristics.
Albert Einstein first published the key principle
behind the operation of the laser, when he
hypothesized that, under the proper conditions,
light energy of a particular frequency could be used
to stimulate the electrons in an atom to emit
additional light with exactly the same
characteristics as the original stimulating light
source.
 Need for LBM
•Machining of very thin materials like those used in
electronic and hydraulic components is very
difficult by traditional methods.

•Also, few of the non-traditional methods are not

suitable in these cases. Laser beam machining is
preferred to perform micro machining on all
difficult-to-cut materials like ceramic, diamond,
glass, semiconductor wafers and chips etc.
 LBM Equipment
a) Ruby crystal

b) Xenon flash tube

c) Cooling system

d) Focusing lens.
a) Ruby crystal

•The cylindrical shaped ruby crystal forms the

important part of the laser beam equipment.

•Ruby is aluminum oxide with chromium dispersed

throughout it.

•Both the ends of the ruby crystal are made

absolutely parallel to each other.
•One of the end faces of the crystal is highly
silvered, so that it reflects nearly 96% of the
incident light.

•In order to tap the laser output, the other end face
of the crystal is partially silvered and contains a
small hole through which the laser beam emerges.
b) Xenon flash tube

•The ruby crystal is surrounded by a helical flash

tube containing inert gas xenon, which itself in
turn is surrounded by a reflector, to maximize the
intensity of the incident light on the ruby crystal.

•The flash tube is connected to a pulsed high

voltage source by which the xenon transforms the
electrical energy into white light flashes (light
energy).
c) Cooling system

•A cooling system, which utilizes water, air or

liquid nitrogen, is provided to protect the ruby
crystal from the enormous amount of heat
generated.
d) Focusing lens

•The light beam or laser beam, which escapes

through the tiny hole of the ruby crystal possess
low power densities.

•The beam is useless for material processing

applications until its power density is increased.

•This is achieved by means of a focusing lens.

•The lens focuses the laser beam to converge to a

narrow spot thereby increasing its power density.
LBM Operation
 Thermal Features of Laser Machining
The radiant energy delivered to a surface by a
focused laser beam is consumed in four ways.

Apart is reflected and lost (this part becomes

larger in the case of highly reflective metal
surfaces.

Most of the energy which is not reflected is used

for melting metal.

Relatively small part of the energy is used to

evaporate the liquid metal.

A very small part of the energy is conducted into

the un melted base material.
 Types of LASERS

1.Solid state Pulsed Laser

2. Carbon die oxide gas laser CO2

1. Solid state Pulsed Laser
 1. 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 light flux which can
be absorbed by these laser materials and then
converted into a collimated laser beam.

•The light flux of-high intensity is provided by

xenon filled flash lamps.

•The life of this flash lamp is around 10,000

-1,00,000 pulses.
•Nd-glass laser operates only in a pulsed mode
with a pulse duration of a few billionths of a
second to a maximum of 1 millionth of a second.

•Nd-YAG lasers can be operated either pulsed or in

a continuous wave to produce continuous power
Output
2. Carbon die oxide gas laser CO2
 2. Carbon die oxide gas laser CO2
• The CO2 laser system uses three gases, viz.
nitrogen, carbon dioxide and helium flowing
through a glass dis­charge tube.

• Nitrogen functions as an intermediary between

electrical energy and the vibrational enemy of
CO2 molecules.

• Helium cools the gas mixture so that it may be

re-excited again.
• When electrical discharge energy is generated
through these gases, photons are generated
when some of the energy absorbed by CO2
molecules is released as explained earlier.

• 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.

• The CO2 laser has several advantages over solid

state lasers, such as, relatively high and
continu­ous power output and high conversion
efficiency (20%) of power.
• As compared to this, ruby is 1-3%, efficient and
the YAG car, reach 10%.

• In addition, the CO2 laser systems have fewer

maintenance problems, unlike solid state laser
systems which require regular replacement of
flash lamps.
 Process Parameters of LBM
•Power density and laser beam-work piece
interaction time are the most important variables
determining whether the beam will weld, cut, mark
or heat treat.

•For rapid heating of a surface without melting, a

highly focused beam producing power densities of
only 1.5x102 - 1.5x104 W/cm2 is used.
•If melting is desired, as in the case of welding or
cladding applications, power densities ranging
from 1.5 x104 - 1.5 x105 W/cm2 is used.

•Cutting and drilling action will occur for power

densities ranging from 1.5 x 106 - 1.5 x 108 W/
cm2.
 Process Characteristics of LBM
•A typical laser system, having an output energy of
20 Joules with a pulse duration of 103 sec can
produce a peak power of 20,000 W.

•With a beam divergence of 0.002 radian, a spot

diameter of 0.05 mm exposed to the focused laser
beam can result in a power density of 1.2 X 109
W/cm2.

•A power density of this magnitude is sufficient to

melt and vaporize almost any material including
diamond.
a) Machining Rate:

• Laser can be used for cutting as well as drilling.

• The machining removal rate in LBM is

comparatively low & is of the order off 4000
mm3/hr.

• The observed cutting rates for both metals &

non metals have been found under the following
relation ship
 Cutting rate (mm/min):C=KP/EAt1
 
Where
P=Laser power incident on surface in watts
E=Vaporisation energy of material in Watt/mm3
A=Area of the laser beam at focal point in mm2
t1= Thickness of material in mm
K=Constant characteristics of material and the
conversion of efficiency of laser energy into the
material in mm/min
b) Accuracy

•The holes drilled by laser are not round.

•In order to overcome this difficulty the work piece

is rotated as the hole is laser-drilled.

•Other problems associated with laser drilling are

the taper and the recast structure in the heat
affected zone. Taper of 0.5 mm per 10 mm drilled
depth can sometimes be expected.
•In order to achieve the best possible results in
drilling, it is imperative that the material be located
within a tolerance of ± 0.2 mm of focal point.

•Therefore, while drilling thicker materials, it is

required that the focal point is moved down the
hole as it is drilled.

•Accuracy in profile cutting with numerical control

or photoelectric tracer unit is about ± 0.1 mm.
 Advantages of LBM
•Any material, including non-metals, and
irrespective of their hardness and brittleness can
be machined by laser.

•Apart from cutting, drilling and welding materials,

lasers can also be used for marking, heat-treating
of surfaces and selectively clad materials.

•The process can be easily automated.

•Can remove material in very small amounts.

•Laser beam machining is a force-less machining
process. This allows very thin and fragile parts to
be easily cut.

•Welding, drilling and cutting of areas not readily

accessible are possible.

•Heat affected zone is small, because of the

collimated beam

•Extremely small holes can be machined.

•No burrs are produced in this process.

•Hardness of material does not affect the process.

•There is easy control of beam configuration and

size of exposed area.

•There is no tool wear problem.

•Soft materials like rubber and plastics can be

machined.
 Dis-Advantages of LBM
•Costlier.

•Low thermal efficiency.

•Low metal removal rates.

•Process is limited to thin parts.

•High reflectivity materials are difficult to machine.

•Difficult to drill exact round holes.

•Not applicable to blind machining of metals.

•It cannot be used to cut metals that have high
heat conductive or high reflectivity like aluminum,
copper etc.

•It is limited to thin sheets.

•The holes produces may taper from entry to exit.

•The laser system is quite trouble some since the

life of the flash lamp is short.
•Its overall efficiency is extremely low (10-15%)

•Certain materials like fibre-glass reinforced

materials, phenolics, vinyls, etc., cannot be worked
by laser as these materials burn.
•Effective safely procedures are required.
 Applications of LBM
•Laser-beam machining is widely used for drilling
and cutting metals, nonmetallic materials,
ceramics, and composite material.

•The abrasive nature of composite materials and

the cleanliness of the operation have made laser-
beam machining an attractive alternative to
traditional machining methods.

•Holes as small as 0.005 mm (0.0002 in.), with hole

depth to diameter ratios of 50: 1, have been
produced in various materials, although a more
practical minimum is 0.025 mm (0.001 in.).
•Steel plates as thick as 32 mm (1.25 in.) can be
cut with laser beams.

•Laser-beam machining is being used increasingly

in the electronics and automotive industries.

•Bleeder holes for fuel-pump covers and lubrication

holes in transmission hubs are, for example, being
drilled with lasers.

•The cooling holes in the first stage vanes of the

Boeing 747 jet engines are also produced by lasers.
•Laser beam machining is used to perform
precision micro-machining on all materials such as
steel, ceramic, glass, diamond, graphite etc.

•It is used for cutting, drilling, welding of materials,

marking, scribing, heat-treating of surfaces and
selectively clad materials.

•It is used for making very small holes, cutting

complex profiles in thin and hard materials. Also
used for partial cutting.

•It can be used for mass-micro machining

production.
•It can also be used for selective heat treating of
materials.

•It is used to drill hole in rubber baby bottle

nipples and in surgical needles.

•To produce flow holes in oil or gas orifices etc.

•LBM at present is found to be suitable only in

excep­tional cases like machining very small holes
and cutting complex profiles in thin, hard
materials like ceramics.

•Other applications include sheet metal trimming,

blanking and resistor.
•Almost all materials can be cut/drilled with laser.
Metallic materials which can be machined by laser
are steel and steel alloys (including those coated
with lead, tin, zinc, nickel, chrome, paint, or
plastic), titanium, niobium, tantalum, nickel as
well as alloys of these materials.
•
•Among the non-metals which can be cut are polye­
thylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, PVC,
reinforced plastic, leather, wood, rubber, wool and
cotton.

•Inorganic materials, like glass, ceramics, quartz,

por­celain, asbestos, mica, stones, alumina and
graphite, can also be cut or drilled.
•In addition to cutting and drilling, the laser beam
is effectively used in welding and heat treatment of
materials

•Another interesting application of LBM is in

dynamic balancing of rotating parts by removing
metal at appro­priate spots without stopping the
part rotation.