STUDY OF THE PARAMETERS INFLUENCING Nd:YAG PULSED LASER CUTTING OF SHEET METALS

Mech Eng., Prod. Dept.(R), MTC , Cairo

Laser can cut a wide range of materials including ferrous and nonferrous metals, plastics and

ceramics. The process uses an assist gas jet to remove the molten material and/or to react

chemically with the material to produce additional thermal energy. The development that have

taken place relative to greater process understanding , improved laser sources, enhanced beam

handling system and process refinements. Much effort has been placed in improving the

efficiency of the process such that thicker sections can be cut with moderate laser powers. Yet,

for all of these developments laser cutting has seen little movement in maximum section limits

that can be cut. Commercial process providers routinely cut to maximum depths greater than 15

Nd:Yag lasers deliver a laser beam with average power of 400 w or less which can be focused

to spot with diameter up to 0.03 mm where fine cutting and drilling of thin materials is possible.

The main advantages of Nd:Yag lasers is the possibility to introduce a beam by the flexible

optical fiber into the processing head that can be fixed to the machine.

The goal of the presented work is to study the influence of different laser beam parameters and

cutting speed upon the quality of the cut including kerf width, number of striations per mm, and

inclination angle of cut for different selected sheet metals