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The laser shaping of ceramic by a fracture machining technique

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Abstract

A new laser machining technique for ceramic shaping, based on the concept of fracture mechanics, is proposed in this paper. The principle of fracture machining technique is investigated. A focused laser is used to scribe two groove-cracks at the two intersecting surfaces of the rectangular substrate. Then, a defocused laser beam is applied throughout the length of the groove-cracks to generate a great thermal stress, which makes the two groove-cracks link together. The material removal is due to the linkage of the groove-cracks. Conventional laser machining requires high laser power to evaporate the materials. The high temperature gradient would induce the formation of micro-cracks, which leads to a remarkable reduction in strength. The laser power required in the method proposed is only a tenth of what is required in the conventional method under the same material removal rate, and in addition, the amount of the micro-crack is smaller. The experimental specimens are alumina ceramics, and the laser sources are a CO2 laser and a Nd:YAG laser. The fracture machining technique can be successfully employed for step shaping and blind corner shaping for a thick ceramic substrate. The relationships of machining parameters such as groove-crack depth, material removal rate, laser scanning speed, and laser power are discussed. Finally, the measurement of the surface roughness and the inspection of crack defects are examined thoroughly.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided for this research by the National Science Council (Republic of China) under Grant NSC 89-2212-E-211-004 to Huafan University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechatronic Engineering, Huafan University, 1 Huafan Road, Shih-ting Hsiang, Taipei Hsien, 223, Taiwan ROC

    C.-H. Tsai

  2. Department of Mechatronic Engineering, Huafan University, 1 Huafan Road, Shih-ting Hsiang, Taipei Hsien, 223, Taiwan ROC

    H.-W. Chen

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  1. C.-H. Tsai
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  2. H.-W. Chen
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Correspondence to C.-H. Tsai.

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Tsai, CH., Chen, HW. The laser shaping of ceramic by a fracture machining technique. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 23, 342–349 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-003-1679-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-003-1679-x

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