Advanced Manufacturing Technology ( PC-ME 701)
CONTINOUS ASSIGMENT(CA-2)
Report submitted to Dr. Dharmeswar Dash
TOPIC- Laser Beam Machining
Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering
BY
NAME: ANIRBAN ROY
ROLL NO: 35500721006
REGISTRATION NO: 213550100710016 OF 2021-22
YEAR: 4th (7th SEM)
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
GHANI KHAN CHOUDHURY INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING
TECHNOLOGY
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I take this opportunity to thank Dr Dharmeswar Dash and others faculty members who
help in preparing the guide I extend my sincere thanks to one of GKCIET family for the
completion of this document on the report format guideline.
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SUMMARY
Emergence of advanced engineering materials, stringent design requirements, intricate shape
and unusual size of workpiece restrict the use of conventional machining methods. Hence, it
was realized to develop some nonconventional machining methods known as advanced
machining processes (AMPs). Nowadays many AMPs are being used in the industry such as;
electro discharge machining, beam machining processes (Laser beam machining (LBM),
electron beam machining, ion beam machining and plasma beam machining), electrochemical
machining, chemical machining processes (chemical blanking, photochemical machining),
ultrasonic machining (USM), and jet machining processes (abrasive jet machining, water jet
machining, abrasive water jet machining), but these processes have their own limitations
regarding workpiece material, shapes, etc. LBM is one of the AMPs which is used for
shaping almost whole range of engineering materials. The laser beams are widely used for
cutting, drilling, marking, welding, sintering and heat treatment. The laser is also used to
perform turning as well as milling operations but major application of laser beam is mainly in
cutting of metallic and non-metallic sheets.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------ 5
LASER BEAM MACHINING PROCESS ------------------------------- 6
LASER BEAM MACHINING WORKING PROCESS -------------- 7-8
WORKING PROCESS PARAMETER FOR LBM ------------------- 8-9
LASRER PROPERTY ---------------------------------------------------- 10
TYPES OF LASER ------------------------------------------------------- 11
LASER CONTROLLING PARAMETER ----------------------------- 12
CONDITION TO PRODUCE A LASER ------------------------------ 12
ADVANTAGE OF LBM PROCESS ----------------------------------- 13
LIMITATION OF LBM PROCESS ------------------------------------ 14
RESEARCH AND APPLICATION ------------------------------------ 15
APPLICATION IN VARIOUS INDUSTRIES ----------------------- 16
CONCLUSION ------------------------------------------------------------ 17
REFERENCES ------------------------------------------------------------ 18
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INTRODUCTION
Laser is the acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The first
laser was invented in 1960. It was an optical pumped laser using a ruby crystal as gain
medium. Afterwards the technology has been in constant development. In 1967 laser cutting
was demonstrated for the first time. This was done using a focused CO2 laser and an assist
gas jet. It wasn’t until 1978 that the first flatbed laser cutting machine was introduced for
commercial use. This machine was actually a punch/laser cutting machine, where the cutting
head was a stationary unit and the work piece could be moved in the x-y directions using
numerical controls. The year after 1979 Trump (German laser machine manufacturer)
introduced a 500-700 W CO2 laser cutting machine. LBM have certain advantageous
characteristics, which turns to achieve significant penetration into manufacturing industries.
high precision ,small heat-affected zone, low level of noise, No need of special fixtures for
the work piece ,No need of expensive or replaceable tools ,Low waste and minimum
deformity LBM is normally used for applications, ranging from military weapons to medical
instruments, Cutting, Welding, Aerospace, Aeronautical industry. Material which are cut by
LBM are Al alloy, wood, ceramic, rubber, plastic, Brass, Hardox-400, etc. It is a form of
machining process in which laser beam is used for the machining of metallic and non-
metallic materials. In this process, a laser beam of high energy is made to strike on the
workpiece, the thermal energy of the laser gets transferred to the surface of the w/p
(workpiece). The heat so produced at the surface heats, melts and vaporizes the materials
from the w/p.
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Laser Beam Machining Process
Planck has given the concept of quanta in 1900 and in 1920 it was well accepted that apart
from wavelike characteristics of light it also shows particle nature while interacting with
matters and exchange energy in the form of photons. The initial foundation of laser theory
was laid by Einstein who has given the concept of stimulated emission. Townes and Shawlow
(1957) produced the first laser known as Ruby Laser.
It works on the principle of conversion of electrical energy of flash lamp into heat energy to
emit the laser beam by pumping the energy. Laser beam is then focused by a lens to give high
energy in the concentrated form and helps to melt and vaporize the material of workpiece. As
laser interacts with the material, the energy of photon is absorbed by the work material
leading to rapid rise in local temperature and result s in melting and vaporization of the work
material
FIG- PLANK QUANTA THEORY
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Laser Beam Machining Working Process
The mechanism of material removal during LBM includes different stages such as (i)
melting, (ii) vaporization, and (iii) chemical degradation (chemical bonds are broken which
causes the materials to degrade). When a high energy density laser bream is focussed on work
surface the thermal energy is absorbed which heats and transforms the work volume into a
molten, vaporized or chemically changed state that can easily be removed by flow of high
pressure assist gas jet (which accelerates the transformed material and ejects it from
machining zone) .LBM is a thermal process. The effectiveness of this process depends on
thermal properties and, to a certain extent, the optical properties rather than the mechanical
properties of the material to be machined. Therefore, materials that exhibit a high degree of
brittleness, or hardness, and have favourable thermal properties, such as low thermal
diffusivity and conductivity, are particularly well suited for laser machining. Since energy
transfer between the laser and the material occurs through irradiation, no cutting forces are
generated by the laser, leading to the absence of mechanically induced material damage, tool
wear and machine vibration. Moreover, the material removal rate (MRR) for laser machining
is not limited by constraints such as maximum tool force, builtup edge formation or tool
chatter.
LBM is a flexible process. When combined with a multi-axis workpiece positioning system
or robot, the laser beam can be used for drilling, cutting, grooving, welding and heat treating
processes on a single machine
The laser source of energy (thermal energy) is used for softening the workpiece material
when it is combined with conventional machining processes such as turning, shaping and
grinding. The hybrid machining processes developed with laser and non-laser conventional
machining processes are shown in Fig. 6. In laser-assisted turning, the laser heat source is
focussed on the un-machined section of the workpiece directly in front of the cutting tool.
The addition of heat softens the surface layer of difficult-to-turn materials, so that ductile
deformation takes place rather than brittle deformation during cutting. This process yields
higher MRRs while maintaining workpiece surface quality and dimensional accuracy. It also
substantially reduces the tool wear and cost of machining by reducing man and machine
hours per part
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FIG – LASRER BEAM MACHINING
WORKING PROCESS PARAMETER OF LBM
Laser beam machining utilizes the narrow beam of intense monochromatic light
which melts and vaporize the material of the workpiece. The setup for this
process is shown in the fig. It mainly consists of:
1) Laser generation unit: in this unit ruby rod, flash lamp, power supply, mirrors are
used for production of laser beams. The solid-state laser i.e. ruby rod is used in the form of
cylindrical crystal with 10 mm diameter and 150
mm long. The ends are finished to close optical
tolerances. The flash lamp is wounded around the
ruby rod and it is connected to electric power
supply. The inner surface of the container wall is
made highly reflective all the light on the ruby
rod. The electrical power supply is designed to
give 250 to 1000 watt of powrer
2) Cooling arrangement: the ruby rod becomes less efficient at higher temperatures and
gives maximum efficiency at when kept at a very low temperature. Hence cooling system is
provided in which liquid nitrogen is used, sometimes air- or water-cooled provision is also
made, but it has less effectiveness compared to liquid nitrogen.
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3) Collimating lens: the highly amplified beam of laser light is focused on workpiece
through a lens, it gives high energy density which melts and vaporizes the metal.
4) Workpiece tables: the workpiece to be cut is placed on the aluminium work table
which is resistant to the laser beam. The laser head is transverse over the workpiece and table
can be moved as per requirement.
MAIN PARTS
1. A pumping Medium: A medium is needed that contains a large number of atoms. The
atoms of the media are used to produce lasers.
2. Flash Tube/Flash Lamp: The flash tube or flash lamp is used to provide the necessary
energy to the atoms to excite their electrons.
3. Power Supply: A high voltage power source is used to produce light in flashlight tubes.
4. Capacitor: Capacitor is used to operate the laser beam machine at pulse mode.
5. Reflecting Mirror: Two types of mirror are used, first one is 100 % reflecting and other is
partially reflecting. 100 % reflecting mirror is kept at one end and partially reflecting mirror
is at the other end. The laser beams comes out from that side where partially reflecting mirror
is kept.
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LASER PROPERTY
1) A laser beam is highly monochromatic.
2) Laser ray is highly pure beam of light.
3) It is an intense beam of light.
4) Highly directional.
5) Highly collimated.
6) The light produced by laser is coherent.
These properties allow laser light to be focused, using optical lens, onto a very small spot
with resulting high power densities.
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TYPES OF LASER
1) Gas laser:
Gas lasers generally have a wide variety of
characteristics. Gas lasers using many gases
have been built and used for many purposes.
They are one of the oldest types of laser. For
example, (a) helium- neon (He-Ne) laser is
common in education because of its low cost.
(b) carbon dioxide lasers are often used in
industry for cutting and welding. (c) metal
ion lasers are gas lasers that generate deep ultraviolet wavelengths. Other example is
Argon-ion, Helium-silver (He-Ag), neon-copper (Ne-Cu), laser etc.
2) Solid laser:
A solid-state laser is one in which the atoms that
emit light are fixed within a crystal or a glassy
material. For example, (a) Ruby rod (the chromium
atoms embedded in the ruby’s aluminium oxide
crystal). (b) Yttrium orthovanadate (Nd: YVO4),
Yttrium lithium fluoride (Nd:YLF) and Yttrium
aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG). They are used for
cutting, welding and marking of metals and other materials, and also in spectroscopy
and for pumping dye lasers.
3) Semiconductor laser:
It is a unique, and perhaps that most
important, types of laser. It is unique
because of its smaller dimensions, and its
natural integration capabilities with micro
electronic circuitry. For example, (a) Silicon
laser is important in the field of optical
computing. (b) Vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers, (VCSELs) whose emission
direction is perpendicular to the surface of the water.
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LASER CONTROLLING PARAMETER
1. Focal length:
The workpiece should be placed close to the lens for machining. If focal length is less,
straight holes will be produced. If the focal length is more, taper holes will be
produced.
[Link] density:
The power density of the beam determines whether the beam will perform the
function of cutting or welding. For machining operation, the power density should be
higher i.e. around 1.5 × 107 W/cm2.
[Link] length:
It is the distance between laser beam and the workpiece. If the laser is very close to
workpiece, the divergence of the beam occurs for small focal length in the metal
cutting
CONDITION TO PRODUCE A LASER
Many, if not all, materials can be made to undergo stimulated emission given the right
circumstances .However, to build a working laser two conditions need to be met. Energy
source that provides the initial stimulation must be powerful enough to ensure that the
majority of the atoms or molecules in the material to be lased are at their higher energy level
Feedback mechanism captures and redirects a portion of the coherent photons back into the
active medium to stimulate the emission of still more photons of the same frequency and
phase The feedback mechanism is designed to allow a small percentage of the coherent
photons to exit the system in the form of laser light; although some of the photon are allowed
to escape the system, most will still be available to maintain the amplification process
through stimulated emission
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ADAVNATGES OF LBM PROCESS
1. There’s no direct contact between tool and workpiece as no physical tool is required
2. Tool’s absence offers no tool wear problems
3. Micro holes with large depth to diameter ratio can be drilled by using LBM
4. The properties of machined materials or magnetic materials does not get affected by laser
beam machining
5. LBM is capable to cut through air, gas, vacuum and even through liquid
6. In this process no burrs or chips are produced
7. Angular drilling or cutting can be obtained by tilting the workpiece
8. Mechanical force is not exerted on the workpiece results in smooth machining of fragile
workpiece
9. Any metals or non-metals can be machined like tungsten, ceramics, zincromium, etc
10. Laser beam is capable to travel longer distances without diffraction and can be focused at
longer distances where weld, drill and cut is not easily possible
11. It is used for various operations like drilling, engraving, cutting, welding, trimming, etc
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LIMITATION OF LBM PROCESS
1. Currently, it cannot be used to cut metals that have high heat conductivity or high
reflectivity. For eg. Aluminium, copper and their alloys cannot be cut satisfactorily.
However, this can be taken as an advantage, in that the laser beam is a self-selective cutter for
different materials – useful in cutting complex profiles without damaging the work table
2. The machined area can be irregular due to off-axis modes that may be generated during
laser action
3. The least diameter to which laser beam can be focused depends upon the laser beam
divergence; this in turn, is a function of the quality of the laser material and the laser cavity
length
4. Output energy from laser is difficult to control precisely
5. The laser system is quite inefficient
6. Pulse repetition rates are low
7. The metal removal rate of 0.0065 cm3/hr in LBM is among the slowest as compared to
other machining processes
8. The holes produced by LBM may taper from entry to exit. The taper on one side of the
hole can be as much as 0.05mm/mm
9. Circular holes produced by LBM are restricted to 3.20mm in diameter in material thickness
exceeding 12.5mm
10. Due to metal cooling on the sides of the hole, LBM results in a series of ridges along the
edge of the work piece
11. High capital investment
12. Not suitable for machining blind holes in metal
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RESEARCH AND APPLICATION
LBM has wide applications in the field of automobile sectors, aircraft industry, electronic
industry, civil structures, nuclear sector and house appliances. Stainless steel, distinguishable
engineering material used in automobiles and house appliances, is ideally suitable for laser
beam cutting . Advanced high strength steels (AHSS) machined by laser beam have
applications in car industry and boiler works. Titanium alloy sheets used in aerospace
industry to make forward compression section in jet engines are cut by lasers . Aluminium
alloys used in aeronautics are one of the most promising for laser machining implantation .
Also, aluminium alloy samples of slot antenna array can be directly fabricated on laser
cutting system . Cutting of complex geometry in metallic coronary stents for medical
application is done by pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam cutting . LBM is the most suitable and
widely used process to machine nickel base superalloys, an important aerospace material .
Besides metals and alloys LBM is also used in different industrial applications to machine
ceramic work materials successfully. Commercial piezoceramic discs are laser cut to provide
complex shapes in RAINBOW actuators. Cutting of commercially available ceramic tiles
using diamond-saw, hydrodynamic or USM are time consuming and expensive in processing
of particular shape. LBM can cut intricate shapes and thick sections in these tiles [40–42].
Short pulse Nd:YAG lasers are successfully used in electronic industry to cut QFN packages
(semiconductor packages which are plastic encapsulated packages with copper lead frame
substrates) . The formation of vertical interconnections in PCB also makes use of laser beam
for drilling . Hard and brittle composite materials like marble, stone and concrete have wide
applications in the field of civil structures. It have discussed the details of successful cutting
of these materials by laser beam. Glasses used in optoelectronics are micromachined by laser
beam. Smaller pieces of lace fabric (nylon 66) for lingerie are separated from main web by
CO2 laser cutting. In the past few years CO2 laser cutting of poly-hydroxy-butyrate (PHB)
was used in the manufacturing of small medical devices such as temporary stents, bone
plates, patches, nails and screws . Surgeons in various medical fields have applied pulsed
laser cutting of tissue for several years . Latest generation Q-switched diode pumped solid
state lasers (DPSSLs) can be used for industrial applications to produce 3-D intricate profiles
by laser milling of a wide variety of materials including aerospace alloys, thermal barrier
coatings, tool steels, diamond and diamond substitutes. the application of CO2 laser milling
in medical field for producing micro-cavities in bone and teeth tissues without damaging the
soft tissues.
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APPLICATION IN VARIOUS INDUSTRIES
1. Most of the LBM drilling applications are in small hole drilling such as fuel filters,
carburetor nozzles, surgical and hypodermic needles, hole for lock-nut safety wires, jet
engine blade cooling holes, diamond drawing dies, holes in rubber baby bottle nipples, relief
holes in pressure plugs, holes in nylon buttons
2. Round holes with diameter ranging from 0.127 to 1.27mm can be produced with L/D
ration of 100:1.
3. Laser beam can be used for making or engraving so as to produce controlled surface
pattern on a workpiece – company logos, part number, bar codes or serial number can be
made. Metal, glass and paper can also be marked in this way.
4. For vaporizing foreign material clogged in electron microscope apertures.
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CONCLUSION
The work presented here is an overview of recent developments of LBM and future research
directions. From above discussion it can be concluded that LBM is a powerful machining
method for cutting complex profiles and drilling holes in wide range of workpiece materials.
However, the main disadvantage of this process is low energy efficiency from production rate
point of view and converging diverging shape of beam profile from quality and accuracy
point of view. Apart from cutting and drilling, LBM is also suitable for precise machining of
micro-parts. The micro-holes of very small diameters (up to 5 mm) with high aspect ratio
(more than 20) can be drilled accurately using nanosecond frequency tripled lasers. Cutting of
thin foils (up to 4 mm) has been done successfully with micro-range kerf width. The
performance of LBM mainly depends on laser parameters (e.g. laser power, wavelength,
mode of operation), material parameters (e.g. type, thickness) and process parameters (e.g.
feed rate, focal plane position, frequency, energy, pulse duration, assist gas type and
pressure). The important performance characteristics of interest for LBM study are HAZ, kerf
or hole taper, surface roughness, recast layer, dross adherence and formation of micro-cracks.
The laser beam cutting process is characterized by large number of process parameters that
determines efficiency, economy and quality of whole process and hence, researchers have
tried to optimize the process through experiment based, analytical, and AI based modelling
and optimization techniques for finding optimal and near optimal process parameters but
modelling and optimization of laser beam cutting with multi-objective, and with hybrid
approach are non-existent in the [Link] two extreme application areas such as
machining of thick materials and machining of micro-parts need considerable research work.
The main focus is related to the laser drilling, laser cutting, and laser-induced bending. The
execution of this LBM needed professional expertise and operational costs are quite
expensive. With the time there is lot of improvements in the LBM and its assisted processes
as well as optimization techniques, which made some new research scopes in the LBM.
Developments in modeling techniques have made new research scopes in the LBM and
improves the performance of LBM process.
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REFERENCES
[1] A TEXTBOOK OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING BY BK JAIN
[2] Khan, S. A. (2016). Laser Beam Micromachining– a Review.
[Link]
[3] M, C. P. S., Rammohan, N., & Hk, S. (2015). Laser Beam Machining : A Literature
Review on Heat affected Zones, Cut Quality and Comparative Study. European Journal of
Advances in Engineering and Technology, 2(10), 70–76.
[4] Shinde, A. D. (2017). Investigation of Effect of Laser Beam Machining (LBM) Process
Parameters on Performance Characteristics of Stainless Steel ( SS 304 ). 10(1), 621–625.
[5] Singh, S. K., & Maurya, A. K. (2017). Review on Laser Beam Machining Process
Parameter Optimization. 3(08), 34–38.
[6] Shinde, A. D., & Kubade, P. R. (2016). Current Research and Development in Laser
Beam Machining (LBM): A Review. 4(10), 101–104.
[7] Barge, R. S., Kadam, R. R., Ugade, R. V, Sagade, S. B., Chandgude, A. K., & Karad, M.
N. (2019). Effect and Optimization of Laser Beam Machining Parameters using Taguchi and
GRA Method : A Review. 1907–1917.
[8] Advanced Manufacturing Processes, Dinesh Lohar, Tech-Max publications
[9] Advanced Manufacturing Processes, Prashant Ambdekar, S. Agrawal, Nirali Prakashan
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