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CO2 laser high-speed crack-free cutting of thick-section alumina based on close-piercing lapping technique

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Abstract

The greatest obstacles encountered in laser cutting of thick-section ceramics are catastrophic fracture and low cutting speed. Close-piercing lapping (CPL) technique has provided a cutting strategy via suppressing the thermal stress development during cutting to achieve crack-free cutting. Although this technique provided a wide operating window, the low process efficiency limited it to further industrial applications. In order to improve the process efficiency, the mechanism of CPL crack-free cutting should be understood and hence, the corresponding process parameters can be optimised for high-speed crack-free cutting. Based on the numerical and experimental study in this work, it was found that the sufficient cooling effect during laser-off periods was crucial to develop a low thermal-stress distribution during CPL cutting, by which the crack-free cutting can be achieved. Based on this finding, a low pulse repetition rate with low pulse duty cycle cutting process was proposed. Also, a procedure for process parameters optimisation was presented, by which CO2 laser high-speed crack-free profile cutting of 6 mm thick alumina was demonstrated. The corresponding cutting speed (i.e. 90 mm/min for straight line cutting and 80 mm/min for profile cutting) was significantly higher than the CPL technique (i.e. 12 mm/min).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Laser Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, People’s Republic of China

    Yinzhou Yan, Lingfei Ji, Yong Bao, Xiaochuan Chen & Yijian Jiang

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  1. Yinzhou Yan
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  2. Lingfei Ji
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  3. Yong Bao
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  4. Xiaochuan Chen
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  5. Yijian Jiang
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Correspondence to Lingfei Ji.

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Yan, Y., Ji, L., Bao, Y. et al. CO2 laser high-speed crack-free cutting of thick-section alumina based on close-piercing lapping technique. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 64, 1611–1624 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-012-4127-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-012-4127-y

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