Evaluation of cutting quality of PMMA using CO2 lasers

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a versatile thermoplastic that is well suited for engineering and many common applications. This article presents a study to evaluate the effect of the processing parameters (laser power and cutting velocity) under the quality of the cut of PMMA. A plan of experiments was established considering CO₂ laser cutting with prefixed processing parameters in plates of PMMA with 6 mm thickness. The objective was to evaluate the quality of the cut (surface roughness, dimensional precision and heat affected zone-HAZ) in linear and complex 2D cutting. The obtained results show that PMMA in complex 2D cutting presents dimension of HAZ between 0.12 to 0.37 mm, without burr and low surface roughness Ra?<?1 μm. The results present good repeatability.     

Using a Nd:YAG laser and six axes robot to cut zinc-coated steel

Zinc-coated steel sheets are important materials in the automobile and home appliance industries. Currently, lasers are the preferred tools for metal cutting because of their good cutting quality, flexibility and excellent features and results, as compared to traditional tools. The solid-state Nd:YAG laser has successfully replaced the gaseous CO₂ laser for metal cutting; its small size and short wavelength makes it suitable for cutting bright and metal-coated materials, as well as being able to be transmitted via optical fibers and robots to cut complicated three dimensional and curved shapes. In this work, the Nd:YAG laser is used to cut 1 mm zinc coated steel sheets. We demonstrate the effects of different cutting parameters such as laser power, cutting speed, different gas types and pressures, and focus position on the cutting quality characteristics of attached dross, kerf width and cut surface roughness. Using a six axes robot, cutting speed was limited to 6 m/min because of the noticeable vibration at higher speeds. Results showed that the cutting surfaces achieved were very sharp and smooth. In cutting, Nd:YAG required less power and attained higher speeds than the published results of a CO₂ laser, which makes Nd:YAG an economical alternative to cut zinc and metal-coated materials. In addition, laser cutting using robots provided efficient and consistent cutting quality, especially in the case of 3D and countered cutting. Apart from using low speed, robots proved to be more economical than costly, specially designed CNC tables.     

In-process monitoring of the cutting front of CO2 laser cutting with off-axis optical fibre

A new method is presented in this study to test a way that can effectively provide detailed information on the surface morphology during CO₂ laser cutting by directly measuring the emitted light from the cutting front. The system consists of a copper tube, glass fibre, polymer fibre and photodiode sensor. In this study, the laser power was modulated from 50 Hz to 300 Hz to disturb the natural burning cycle during gas assisted CO₂ laser cutting. The optical fibre was set at 75° to the cutting direction. The wave frequency of the detected signal was very close to the striation frequency of the cut surface, which shows that the sensing system designed and developed in this research can effectively in-process monitor the CO₂ laser cutting process.     

Investigation of Tool Wear and Surface Finish by Analyzing Vibration Signals in Turning Assab-705 Steel

Various occurrences in machining influence the machining dynamics and thus produce vibration in the cutting tool-workpiece arrangement. In this investigation, with tri-axial accelerometer mounted on the tool-holder in turning ASSAB-705 steel, vibration signals have been captured with and without cutting. The nature of vibrations arising in the cutting tool at different cutting conditions has been investigated. It has been observed that the RMS amplitude of vibration along all three axes for the increasing cutting speed was mixed in nature; however, an increasing trend was noticed in the vibrations along the feed, V_x and radial, V_y directions. The vibration along the main cutting direction, V_z was mixed, initiated by large vibration and then decreased until a particular cutting speed was reached and finally increased steadily. The feed vibration component, V_x has a similar response to the change of the workpiece surface roughness, while the other two components, V_y and V_z have the more coherent response to the rate of flank wear progression throughout the tool life. The natural frequency of different machine parts vibration has been found to be within the band of 0 Hz – 4.2 kHz, whereas the frequencies of different occurrences in turning varied between 98 Hz and 42 kHz.     

CO2 laser cutting of stained glass

This paper covers the CO₂ laser cutting of stained glass using a Ferranti MF400 CNC laser cutting machine. The report examines the various laser cutting parameters required to generate a cut surface in glass which will require minimal post-treatment to be carried out, and also investigates the degree of geometrical intricacy that can be attempted, together with the associated limitations, in cutting 2D glass components. The experimental procedure used to obtain the necessary information for a preliminary database on the laser cutting of stained glass is also detailed. Finally, the implications and applications of the investigative work are examined for commercial situations through construction of a simple 2D test artefact.Notation f pulse frequency (Hz) - k thermal conductivity (W/mK) - P laser beam power (W) - Pl pulse duration (10^–5 s) - Pr pulse ratio - Ps pulse separation (10^–5 s) - P shield gas pressure (bar) - R _a surface roughness (m) - t _s substrate thickness (mm) - V cutting speed (mm/min) - V _opt optimum cutting speed (mm/min) - w kcrf width (mm) - angle of deviation (deg.) - wavelength (m) - d perforation depth (mm)     

Parametric studies on the CO2 laser cutting of Kevlar-49 composite

In the present study, the cutting performance of a CO₂ laser on Kevlar-49 composite materials has been studied. The Taguchi technique is employed to identify the effect of laser control parameters, i.e., laser power, cutting speed, material thickness, assistance gas pressure, and laser mode, on the quality of cut parameters, namely, kerf width, dross height, and slope of the cut. From the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio response tables, the significant parameters and the optimal combination levels of cutting parameters are determined. The obtained results are interpreted and modeled to closely understand the behavior and quality of CO₂ laser cutting. Kevlar-49 composites are found to be cut satisfactorily by the CO₂ laser at the optimum process parameter ranges. The results showed that laser power is the most significant parameter affecting the quality of cut parameters. The optimal combination of cutting parameters minimized the kerf width, dross height, and slope of cut to 0.103 mm, 0.101 mm, and 2.06°, respectively. The error between experimental results with optimum settings and the predicted values for the kerf width, dross height, and slope of cut lie within 2.9%, 7.92%, and 6.3%, respectively.     

Crack separation mechanism in CO2 laser machining of thick polycrystalline cubic boron nitride tool blanks

An improved method for cutting thick polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tool blanks is explored because current methods of pulsed Nd:YAG laser cutting and wire electrical discharge machining (EDM) are constrained by low speed and low precision. We present a CO₂ laser/waterjet (LWJ) process to cut 4.8-mm-thick PCBN tool inserts by a crack separation mechanism. In LWJ, the PCBN blank is locally heated using a high-power continuous wave CO₂ laser to cause phase transition from cubic to hexagonal followed by water quenching to generate thermal stresses and form boron oxide leading to increased brittleness, subsequent cracking, and material separation. A 2³ fractional design of experiment (DOE) approach was employed to determine the factors of laser power, cutting speed, and waterjet pressure on the responses of phase transformation depth, taper, and surface roughness. A numerical heat flow model, based on Green’s function, was used to calculate the temperature distributions along the depth. Surface profilometer, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were utilized to analyze the phase transformation and crack zones. Results from LWJ compared with pulsed Nd:YAG laser and laser microjet? methods indicate LWJ cuts 30 times faster; this was attributed to a nonconventional material removal (crack separation) mechanism. When LWJ was compared against nitrogen-assisted CO₂ laser cutting, improved cut quality (less taper and smaller heat-affected zone) was observed due to a greater control on phase transformation and crack propagation. DOE analysis revealed laser power and waterjet pressure, and the interactions among them are more significant factors than others.     

Experimental investigation on CO2 laser-assisted micro-slot milling characteristics of borosilicate glass

Demands for micro-machining on glass have been increasing in various industries due to the unique properties of glass, such as transparency or biocompatibility. However, micro-channel fabrication on glass with high precision has been challenging due to its brittle characteristics. This research presents the CO₂ laser-assisted micro-milling process and investigates the machining characteristics experimentally. Micro-channels without cracks were fabricated using micro-end mill and CO₂ laser irradiation as an assisting heat source. Compared to the process without laser heating in the same matching conditions, the average surface roughness was reduced by 96%, and cutting force was reduced by 28% and 66% for the feed and thrust direction, respectively. Continuous and sheared chips were observed with laser heating, indicating the process is in ductile-regime machining. Through the investigation of machining parameters, it was found that micro-channels with low average surface roughness can be achieved at the proper laser power when the workpiece is heated up to the strain point at tool position, at low feed rate, and at high axial depth of cut, as long as the tool withstands the cutting forces. Consequently, it can be concluded that it is possible to increase the material removal rate in micro-milling of borosilicate glass with high quality by using the CO₂ laser, which was found to be an effective and suitable heating method.     

薄壁零件高速铣削振动试验与分析

切削速会加强振动随针对薄壁零件在高速铣削加工过程中存在的振动问题,为有效抑制加工振动,采用单因素试验,对每齿进给量、度、工彳车径向轴向切深、径向切深等加工参数进行了研究。试验结果显示：每齿进给量并不是越小越好;转速过高过低都振动：切深增随轴向切深增大振动增强;随径向切深增大振动逐渐减弱,较大轴向切深下,径向切深小于1mm时,大而增强。综合数据优选：薄壁零件高速铣削时,每齿进给量在0．1～0．15mm之间;转速在11000—14000r／min之间;较小的轴向切深和较大径向切深会有效抑制加工振动。     

Design and evaluation of high-pressure nozzle assembly for laser cutting of thick carbon steel

Laser cutting of carbon steel is extensively used across a range of industries, due to its advantage of high speed, low kerf and high quality. Currently, a 1-kW carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser with its subsonic nozzle assembly can be used only to cut steel plates up to around 10 mm. This paper aims to design and evaluate a high-pressure supersonic laser cutting nozzle assembly, which can enable a 1-kW CO₂ laser to cut steel of up to 50 mm thickness. Basic gas dynamic and compressible flow equations were used to design the supersonic nozzle assembly. The flow of the high-pressure gas jet inside the nozzle assembly was investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and the structural integrity of the high-pressure nozzle assembly was ensured using finite element analysis (FEA). The gas flow pattern at the exit of the nozzle assembly was computed and compared with the experimental observation made through a shadowgraph technique. Laser cutting experiments were performed with the developed supersonic nozzle assembly to demonstrate cutting of 50-mm-thick low carbon steel with 1-kW CO₂ laser.     

Experimental investigation of the three-component forces in finish dry hard turning of hardened tool steel at different hardness levels

In this paper, the effects of cutting speed, depth of cut, feed, workpiece hardness (51, 55, 58, 62, and 65?±?1 HRC), tool flank wear, and nose radius on three-component forces in finish dry hard turning (FDHT) of the hardened tool steel AISI D2 were experimentally investigated by utilizing the PCBN inserts. Experimental results showed that the feed force is the lowest in three-component forces and influence of cutting parameters on it is less than two others in the FDHT of AISI D2. Values of the radial force are higher than those of the cutting force when cutting speed, depth of cut, and feed range from 75 to 301 m/min, and 0.10 to 0.40 and 0.05 to 0.20 mm, respectively, but lower in the range between 0.8- and 1.6-mm nose radius. Values of the cutting force are higher than those of the radial force as the workpiece hardness varies from 51 to 58?±?1 HRC while lower in the range between 62 and 65?±?1 HRC. Besides, there are relations between the changing laws of three-component forces and the softening effect of chip, cohesion effect in the tool–chip junction zone, and intenerating effect of metal in the workpiece surface. The high flank wear formation increases the contact with workpiece surface and hence induces tearing–drawing and welding effect duo to instantaneous high temperature.     

Study of ductile mode cutting in grooving of tungsten carbide with and without ultrasonic vibration assistance

In this study, ductile mode chip formation in conventional cutting and ultrasonic vibration assisted cutting of tungsten carbide workpiece material has been investigated through experimental grooving tests using CBN tools on a CNC lathe. The experimental results show that as the depth of cut was increased there was a transition from ductile mode to brittle mode chip formation in grooving both with and without ultrasonic vibration assistance. However, the critical value of the depth of cut for ductile mode cutting with ultrasonic vibration assistance was much larger than that without ultrasonic vibration assistance. The ratio of the volume of removed material to the volume of the machined groove, f _ab , was used to identify the ductile mode and brittle mode of chip formation in the grooving tests, in which f _ab <1 indicates ductile mode chip formation and f _ab >1 indicates brittle mode chip formation. For the same radius of tool cutting edge, the value of f _ab at the ductile-brittle transition region either with or without ultrasonic vibration was less than 1. However, the f _ab value with ultrasonic vibration assistance was close to 1. The experimental results demonstrate that ultrasonic vibration assisted cutting can be used to improve the ductile mode cutting performance of tungsten carbide work material.Nomenclature A amplitude - A ₁ , A ₂ cross-section areas of the ridge - A _V cross-section area of the groove - A _W the value of A _V subtracted by A ₁+A ₂ - f vibration frequency - f _ab ratio of work material removal - t time - v nominal cutting speed - v _u vibration velocity - v _t true cutting speed in ultrasonic cutting - angular frequency     

Thermal stress fracture mode of CO2 laser cutting of aluminum nitride

A thermal stress fracture mode of material removal by laser cutting was conducted in 1-mm thick wafers of aluminum nitride (AlN) using a continuous wave CO₂ laser with a defocused beam. In this mode, a thin layer (10–20 μm) of AlN surface was melted in an oxygen environment to form aluminum oxide. Solidification of the melt layer coupled with thermal expansion mismatch generated thermal stresses that in turn created a crack along the middle path of the laser beam, resulting in material separation. Thermochemical modeling of laser heating, oxide forming, and subsequent cooling of AlN was performed to validate the formation of cracks as well as material separation through unstable crack propagation. A comparison with the conventional “evaporation/melt and blow” laser cutting method showed that the thermal stress method offers significant benefits such as improved precision, better cut quality, higher cutting speed, and lower energy losses.     

Computer-aided selection of optimum machining parameters in multipass turning

In this paper a model and the interactive program system MECCANO2 for multiple criteria selection of optimal machining conditions in multipass turning is presented. Optimisation is done for the most important machining conditions: cutting speed, feed and depth of cut, with respect to combinations of the criteria, minimum unit production cost, minimum unit production time and minimum number of passes. The user can specify values of model parameters, criterion weights and desired tool life. MECCANO2 provides graphical presentation of results which makes it very suitable for application in an educational environment.Nomenclature a _min,a _max minimum and maximum depth of cut for chipbreaking [mm] - a _w maximum stock to be machined [mm] - C _a, _a, _a coefficient and exponents in the axial cutting force equation - C _r, _r, _r coefficient and exponents in the radial cutting force equation - C _T, , , coefficient and exponents in the tool life equation - C _v, _v, _v coefficient and exponents in the tangential cutting force equation - D _w maximum permissible radial deflection of workpiece [mm] - F _a axial cutting force [N] - F _b design load on bearings [N] - F _c clamping force [N] - F _k ^/* minimum value of criterionk, k=1, ...,n, when considered separately - f _m rotational flexibility of the workpiece at the point where the cutting force is applied [mm Nm^–1] - f _r radial flexibility of the workpiece at the point where the cutting force is applied [mm N^–1] - F _r radial cutting force [N] - F _tmax maximum allowed tangential force to prevent tool breakage [N] - F _v tangential cutting force [N] - k slope angle of the line defining the minimum feed as a function of depth of cut [mm] - l length of workpiece in the chuck [mm] - L length of workpiece from the chuck [mm] - L _c insert cutting edge length [mm] - M _g cost of jigs, fixtures, etc. [$] - M _o cost of labour and overheads [$/min] - M _u tool cost per cutting edge [$] - n number of criteria considered simultaneously - N _q, N_p minimum and maximum spindle speed [rev/min] - N _s batch size - N _z spindle speed for maximum power [rev/min] - P _a maximum power at the point where the power-speed characteristic curve changes (constant power range) [kW] - R tool nose radius [mm] - r workpiece radius at the cutting point [mm] - r _c workpiece radius in the chuck [mm] - s _min,s _max minimum and maximum feed for chipbreaking [mm] - T tool life [min] - T _a process adjusting time [min] - T _b loading and unloading time [min] - T _d tool change time [min] - T _des desired tool life [min] - T _h total set-up time [min] - T _t machining time [min] - V _rt speed of rapid traverse [m/min] - W volume of material to be removed [mm³] - W _k weight of criterionk, k=1, ...,n - x=[x ₁,x ₂,x ₃ ] ^T vector of decision variables - x ₁ cutting speed [m/min] - x ₂ feed [mm/rev] - x ₃ depth of cut [mm] - approach angle [rad] - _a coefficient of friction in axial direction between workpiece and chuck - _c coefficient of friction in circumferential direction between workpiece and chuck     

Visualization of fluctuations in internal stress distribution of workpiece during ultrasonic vibration-assisted cutting

The aim of this study is to construct visualization system of stress distribution under ultrasonic vibration-assisted cutting condition in order to investigate the cutting phenomenon. The vibrating cutting edge is considered to be cause of dynamic change of cutting force at ultrasonic frequency. However, many researchers have explained the effect of ultrasonic vibration-assisted cutting by evaluating the time-averaged cutting force, because it is difficult to measure the dynamic cutting force by using dynamometers. In this study, the instantaneous stress distribution on workpiece was visualized by photoelastic method in combination of pulse laser emission synchronized with vibration of cutting edge. Orthogonal cutting test was carried out at low cutting speed relative to vibration speed of insert. A constructed photographic system divided the ultrasonic vibration period of 36.2 μs into 360 points and took one photograph frame at each point. By counting the number of criteria pixels which images the cutting stress, the intermittent cutting condition was evaluated. It was experimentally confirmed that the stress distribution under vibration-assisted condition showed the periodical change synchronized with insert vibration. Because these results are compatible with well-known vibration cutting theories, the imaging system is able to show the periodic change of stress distribution in ultrasonic frequency band. The intermittent cutting condition was affected not only feed speed but also depth of cut. The theory of relative motion between tool and workpiece is insufficient to explain these results. Therefore, remnants formed due to elastic deformation of the workpiece were examined. The vibration cutting dramatically reduced the elastic deformation and the vibration amplitude had effect on the amount of remnant thickness.     

CO2 laser cutting of Kevlar laminate: influence of assisting gas pressure

In the present study, laser cutting of Kevlar laminate is considered, and the effect of assisting gas pressure and laser output power on the end product quality is examined. The end product quality is judged via measurement of out-of-flatness and kerf width ratios. Experimental tests are carried out using a CO₂ laser beam with pulse repetition rate of 300 Hz. The cutting model introduced previously is accommodated to predict the kerf size for various laser output power and assisting gas pressures. The predictions are compared with the experimental results. It is found that the predictions of kerf size are in good agreement with the experimental results. The influence of assisting gas pressure is significant on the resulting cut quality, in which case, out-of-flatness and kerf width ratio improve considerably at high assisting gas pressures (500 kPa).     

大角度斜面激光切割加工的工艺研究

分析了大角度斜面激光切割的可行性和激光切割加工工艺。结果表明：当激光功率为1260W，光斑直径为0.18mm,以0.08MPa的氧气作用为辅助气体，切割速度为1.4m/min,使喷嘴离工件的距离保持在0.5mm-0.8mm之间并选取适当的CNC程序直线插补步长，可以实现6mm厚的15Cr2Mo1钢大角度斜面的激光切割，切口质量良好。     

Optimization of end mill tool geometry parameters for Al7075-T6 machining operations based on vibration amplitude by response surface methodology

This paper aims at developing a statistical model to envisage vibration amplitude in terms of geometrical parameters such as radial rake angle, nose radius of cutting tool and machining parameters such as cutting speed, cutting feed and axial depth of cut. Experiments were conducted through response surface methodology experimental design. The material chosen is Aluminum (Al 7075-T6) and the tool used was high speed steel end mill cutter with different tool geometry. Two channels piezoelectric accelerometers were used to measure the vibration amplitude. The second order mathematical model in terms of machining parameters was built up to predict the vibration amplitude and ANOVA was used to verify the competency of the model. Further investigation on the direct and interactive effect of the process parameter with vibration amplitude was carried out for the selection of process parameter so that the vibration amplitude was maintained at the minimum which ensures the stability of end milling process. The optimum values obtained from end milling process are Radial rake angle-12°, Nose radius-0.8 mm, Cutting speed-115 m/min, Cutting feed rate-0.04 mm/tooth, axial depth of cut-2.5 mm. The vibration amplitude exhibited negative relationship with radial rake angle and nose radius. The dominant factors on the vibration amplitude are feed rate and depth of cut. Thus it is envisaged that the predictive models in this study could produce values of the vibration amplitude close to the experimental readings with a 95% confidence interval.     

Prediction of depth of cut for single-pass laser micro-milling process using semi-analytical, ANN and GP approaches

The present study is aimed to investigate micro-milling performance of thermoplastics with different parameters, namely laser beam absorptivity, latent heat of vaporization, laser power and cutting speed. The 25-W CO₂ (CW) laser engraving machine is used for the investigation. In total 50 different combinations of laser power and cutting speed with four categories of thermoplastics, namely poly-methyl-methacrylate, poly-propylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and nylon 6, are used in this study. Experimental results suggest that laser beam absorptivity, cutting power and cutting speed are the major influencing parameters on depth of cut. Theoretical model for the prediction of depth of cut in terms of material properties, cutting power and cutting speed has been proposed. Two correction parameters have been introduced in this analysis using non-linear regression method to improve the theoretical model. Comparison has been made between prediction capabilities of theoretical model, model based on multi-gene genetic programming and artificial neural network. The comparison clearly indicates that all the three models provide accurate prediction of depth of cut. The details of experimentation, model development, testing and the performance comparison are presented in this paper.     

Machining of austenitic stainless steels using CVD multi-layer coated cemented carbide tools

This paper presents the results of experimental work in dry turning of austenitic stainless steels (AISI 304 and AISI 316) using CVD multi-layer coated cemented carbide tools. The turning tests were conducted at four different cutting speeds (120, 150, 180 and 210 m/min) while feed rate and depth of cut were kept constant at 0.16 mm/rev and 1 mm, respectively. The cutting tools used were TiC/TiCN/TiN and TiCN/TiC/Al₂O₃ coated cementide carbides. The influences of cutting speed, cutting tool coating top layer and workpiece material were investigated on the machined surface roughness and the cutting forces. The worn parts of the cutting tools were also examined under scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that cutting speed significantly affected the machined surface roughness values. With increasing cutting speed, the surface roughness values decreased until a minimum value is reached beyond which they increased.