MANUFACTURING

Advanced Manufacturing Processes

Advanced Manufacturing Processes

Introduction

Laser is an abbreviation of the English term Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) and ever since the development in the sixties it is seen as a technique in the metal which guarantees fast and high quality operations. The laser provides a totally new kind of energy, which is suitable for applications in the manufacturing, medical and communications. It is suitable for warming up, melt and even evaporate of materials and can be considered as the ideal combination of intense and manageable energy. At this time, in the production technology of cutting, particularly for the CO2laser, the largest field of application (Synrad, 2012).

The laser cutting can be applied on acrylic, wood, MDF, leather, paper, plastic, carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum etc. In the specific case of industrial cutting, there are currently two types of laser, CO2and YAG which may be employed in different materials. Be scored, then the relation of these lasers with metal cutting. The CO2laser (the most used in industrial cutting) uses the following gases: helium (He), Nitrogen (N2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The CO2gas is used in the emission of the laser excitation in the N2 and He in the cooling stage. With the use of CO2, enables a process of laser cutting versatile, as it can work metallic and non metallic materials with high speed and ease of control. However, in the case of reflective material such as mild steel alloys the CO2laser difficulties of cutting (depending on the thickness to be imaged). Among the metallic materials cut by CO2laser includes the non-alloyed metals or alloy, stainless steel, nickel alloy, titanium (and its alloys) and aluminum (and alloys; considering the problem of reflectivity).

Cutting mild steel alloy with a CO2laser

A large number of materials can be cut with the laser beam:

Structural steels, unalloyed and low alloyed galvanized, painted or coated

Tool steel

Alloyed steels, e.g. stainless steel

Non-ferrous metals

Al and Al alloys

Ti and Ti alloys

Plastics such as acrylic

Rubber, paper, wool, cotton, plywood and quartz

Total heat input and output of CO2laser cutting

During laser cutting, the laser beam is focused and projected on the material to be cut, so that the material locally melts and vaporizes to intense amount of heat. The process is supported by a cutting gas, which is coaxial with the laser beam is blown into the cut and thus expels the molten material. By a movement of the product relative to the laser and gas jet is a cut made In comparison with conventional cutting techniques provides the laser cutting the highest cutting speed (up to approximately 15 m / min), the best quality of cut and there is in most cases no rework (due to slight burr on the bottom of the cut). In comparison with other thermal separation techniques, such as electron beam, oxy-fuel and plasma cutting, laser cutting is closely neater (50 µ m), has a smaller cutting width (on-about 0.2 mm), are sharper angles (15 °) in the cutting-contours ...