Product Code: ICA12_1803

Analysis of Material Removal on Metallic Materials by Pulsed Fiber Lasers
Authors:
Mark Brodsky, SPI Lasers LLC; Southampton Great Britain
Jack Gabzdyl, SPI Lasers UK Limited; -
Ken Dzurko, SPI Lasers LLC; -
Presented at ICALEO 2012

Pulsed fiber lasers are being extensively used for micromachining applications on a very broad range of metallic materials. End user requirements can vary greatly based on whether the parts are functional such as mould tools or just provide deep engraved alphanumeric marking. Material removal rates and residual surface quality are greatly affected by the laser pulse parameters and the optical arrangements used. This study reviews the effects of 4 different beam qualities. A range of different optical configurations were also used to allow for direct comparison using the same optical power densities. A range of etch patterns were performed and analysed on five different materials: raw aluminium, anodised aluminium, mild steel, stainless steel and hardened tool steel.

The results of this study show that at the same average power, higher frequency kHz less energetic pulses can remove more material than higher energy pulses at lower frequencies. The impact of beam quality and spot size along with machining strategies are discussed and compared with regards to material removal rates and residual feature and surface quality.