Local drying underwater cutting of reactor core internals by CO laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beppu, Seiji; Takano, Genta; Matsumoto, Osa; Sugihara, Masaaki; Miya, Kenzo.

1991-01-01

Since the CO laser operates at shorter wavelength than the CO 2 laser, the former has superior ability to cut materials. Its applicability to the cutting of reactor core internals in a nuclear power plant has been studied. In order to use such a laser for cutting actual structures, it would be useful to develop underwater cutting technology for the purpose of minimizing radiation exposure during cutting. However, since the laser beam is absorbed by water, a path needs to be cleared along the laser's line of sight. The authors have developed a nozzle that forms a local dry zone and have demonstrated that CO laser cutting can be carried out under water as it is in air. (author)

CO2 laser cutting

CERN Document Server

Powell, John

1998-01-01

The laser has given manufacturing industry a new tool. When the laser beam is focused it can generate one of the world's most intense energy sources, more intense than flames and arcs, though similar to an electron beam. In fact the intensity is such that it can vaporise most known materials. The laser material processing industry has been growing swiftly as the quality, speed and new manufacturing possibilities become better understood. In the fore of these new technologies is the process of laser cutting. Laser cutting leads because it is a direct process substitu­ tion and the laser can usually do the job with greater flexibility, speed and quality than its competitors. However, to achieve these high speeds with high quality con­ siderable know how and experience is required. This information is usually carefully guarded by the businesses concerned and has to be gained by hard experience and technical understanding. Yet in this book John Powell explains in lucid and almost non­ technical language many o...

CO2 Laser Cutting of Hot Stamping Boron Steel Sheets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pasquale Russo Spena

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the quality of CO2 laser cutting of hot stamping boron steel sheets that are employed in the fabrication of automotive body-in-white. For this purpose, experimental laser cutting tests were conducted on 1.2 mm sheets at varying levels of laser power, cutting speed, and oxygen pressure. The resulting quality of cut edges was evaluated in terms of perpendicularity tolerance, surface irregularity, kerf width, heat affected zone, and dross extension. Experimental tests were based on a L9(34 orthogonal array design, with the effects of the process parameters on the quality responses being determined by means of a statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA. Quadratic mathematical models were developed to determine the relationships between the cutting parameters and the quality responses. Finally, a routine based on an optimization criterion was employed to predict the optimal setting of cutting factors and its effect on the quality responses. A confirmation experiment was conducted to verify the appropriateness of the optimization routine. The results show that all of the examined process parameters have a key role in determining the cut quality of hot stamping boron steel sheets, with cutting speed and their interactions having the most influencing effects. Particularly, interactions can have an opposite behavior for different levels of the process parameters.

Application of CO2 laser cutting machine to shipbuilding; Zosen no setsudan eno CO2 laser no tekiyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujimoto, Y. [Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1998-11-01

Carbon dioxide laser has been applied to cutting works in shipbuilding. As NC cutter was obsolete, CO2 laser cutting machine with a rated output 3 kW was introduced. According to the specifications of the machinable plate, the maximum thickness is 19 mm, and effective width and length are 5.4 m and 29.1 m, respectively. As the cutting width is wide and the running distance of laser beam is long, the error of light axis is expanded only by a small error of irradiation angle, which results in the inconvenience. Stable operation was realized by improving the fixation of reflecting mirror. Right angle cutting section with a cutting curve below 0.5 mm was obtained, and cutting time was reduced by the one-line cutting by which both sections can be available with a single cutting line. For the cutting of thin plate with a thickness less than 10 mm, strain was not formed, and remedy was not required. Block strain was remarkably reduced during the assembly process. Maintenance-free operation without monitoring can be performed for a long time. This machine is operated at night and lunch time, resulting in the reduced processes. The working environment is appropriate without noise and dust. Facility cost and maintenance cost were also reduced. Lower cutting speed is a weak point, when compared with the plasma cutting machine. The present machine is not applied to aluminum plates with high surface reflectivity. 13 figs.

Design of an Optical System for High Power CO2 Laser Cutting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Lange, D.F.; Meijer, J.; Nielsen, Jakob Skov

2003-01-01

The results of a design study for the optical system for cutting with high power CO2 lasers (6 kW and up) will be presented. As transparent materials cannot be used for these power levels, mirrors have been applied. A coaxial cutting gas supply has been designed with a laser beam entrance into th...... independent of the entering beam angle or position. manufacturing tolerances have been compensated in a one time adjustment during the assembly of the optical system. Preliminary cutting results in 13 mm thick steel in a shipyard application show a signinficant improvement in the cutting performance....

Fuzzy Logic Approach for the Prediction of Dross Formation in CO2 Laser Cutting of Mild Steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miloš Madić

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Dross free laser cutting is very important in the application of laser cutting technology. This paper focuses on the development of a fuzzy logic model to predict dross formation in CO2 laser oxygen cutting of mild steel. Laser cutting experiment, conducted according to Taguchi’s experimental design using L25 orthogonal array, provided a set of data for the development of a fuzzy rule base. The predicting fuzzy logic model is based on using Mamdani-type inference system. Developed fuzzy logic model considered the cutting speed, laser power and assist gas pressure as inputs. Using this model the effects of the selected laser cutting parameters on the dross formation were investigated. Additionally, 3-D surface plots were generated to study the interaction effects of the laser cutting parameters. The analysis revealed that the cutting speed has the most significant effect, followed by laser power and assist gas pressure. The results indicated that the fuzzy logic modeling approach can be effectively used for the dross formation prediction in CO2 laser cutting of mild steel.

Experimental study of laser-oxygen cutting of low-carbon steel using fibre and CO2 lasers under conditions of minimal roughness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golyshev, A A; Malikov, A G; Orishich, A M; Shulyatyev, V B

2014-01-01

The results of an experimental study of laser-oxygen cutting of low-carbon steel using fibre and CO 2 lasers are generalised. The dependence of roughness of the cut surface on the cutting parameters is investigated, and the conditions under which the surface roughness is minimal are formulated. It is shown that for both types of lasers these conditions can be expressed in the same way in terms of the dimensionless variables – the Péclet number Pe and the output power Q of laser radiation per unit thickness of the cut sheet – and take the form of the similarity laws: Pe = const, Q = const. The optimal values of Pe and Q are found. We have derived empirical expressions that relate the laser power and cutting speed with the thickness of the cut sheet under the condition of minimal roughness in the case of cutting by means of radiation from fibre and CO 2 lasers. (laser technologies)

Performance comparison of CO2 and diode lasers for deep-section concrete cutting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crouse, Philip L.; Li, Lin; Spencer, Julian T.

2004-01-01

Layer-by-layer laser machining with mechanical removal of vitrified dross between passes is a new technique with a demonstrated capability for deep-section cutting, not only of concrete, but of ceramic and refractory materials in general. For this application fairly low power densities are required. A comparison of experimental results using high-power CO 2 and diode lasers under roughly equivalent experimental conditions, cutting to depths of >100 mm, is presented. A marked improvement in cutting depth per pass is observed for the case of the diode laser. The increased cutting rate is rationalized in terms of the combined effects of coupling efficiency and beam shape

Ann modeling of kerf transfer in Co2 laser cutting and optimization of cutting parameters using monte carlo method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miloš Madić

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, an attempt has been made to develop a mathematical model in order to study the relationship between laser cutting parameters such as laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure and focus position, and kerf taper angle obtained in CO2 laser cutting of AISI 304 stainless steel. To this aim, a single hidden layer artificial neural network (ANN trained with gradient descent with momentum algorithm was used. To obtain an experimental database for the ANN training, laser cutting experiment was planned as per Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array with three levels for each of the cutting parameters. Statistically assessed as adequate, ANN model was then used to investigate the effect of the laser cutting parameters on the kerf taper angle by generating 2D and 3D plots. It was observed that the kerf taper angle was highly sensitive to the selected laser cutting parameters, as well as their interactions. In addition to modeling, by applying the Monte Carlo method on the developed kerf taper angle ANN model, the near optimal laser cutting parameter settings, which minimize kerf taper angle, were determined.

Analysis of the heat affected zone in CO2 laser cutting of stainless steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madić Miloš J.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an investigation into the effect of the laser cutting parameters on the heat affected zone in CO2 laser cutting of AISI 304 stainless steel. The mathematical model for the heat affected zone was expressed as a function of the laser cutting parameters such as the laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure and focus position using the artificial neural network. To obtain experimental database for the artificial neural network training, laser cutting experiment was planned as per Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array with three levels for each of the cutting parameter. Using the 27 experimental data sets, the artificial neural network was trained with gradient descent with momentum algorithm and the average absolute percentage error was 2.33%. The testing accuracy was then verified with 6 extra experimental data sets and the average predicting error was 6.46%. Statistically assessed as adequate, the artificial neural network model was then used to investigate the effect of the laser cutting parameters on the heat affected zone. To analyze the main and interaction effect of the laser cutting parameters on the heat affected zone, 2-D and 3-D plots were generated. The analysis revealed that the cutting speed had maximum influence on the heat affected zone followed by the laser power, focus position and assist gas pressure. Finally, using the Monte Carlo method the optimal laser cutting parameter values that minimize the heat affected zone were identified.

CO{sub 2} laser beam cutting with long-focused optics system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okimura, Koji [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Kobe Shipyard and Machinery Works, Kobe, Hyogo (Japan); Nagura, Yasumi; Ishide, Takashi; Hiramoto, Yoneo

1999-07-01

In cutting the decommissioned nuclear facility, it is required to ensure the safety for dismantling workers, to control the amount of wastes generated by cutting, to reduce the costs, etc. Recently, the laser power has increased remarkably and its application tests are carried out at various fields. In this work, cutting tests were carried out with the CO{sub 2} laser having a long-focused optics system of the meter scale. Then, in the optics system of 5 m focal length, it is possible to cut the steel plates of 30 and 40 mm thickness with the laser power of 20 and 40 kW respectively and 42 mm out diameter steel pipe of 5 mm thickness with that of 20 kW without using assistant gas. This cutting process can be developed such a new dismantling method that may dismantle crowded overhead pipes without a scaffolding, so it is expected to ensure the safety for dismantling workers, to decrease the amount of total radiation exposure and to reduce the costs. (author)

Experimental study of laser-oxygen cutting of low-carbon steel using fibre and CO{sub 2} lasers under conditions of minimal roughness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Golyshev, A A; Malikov, A G; Orishich, A M; Shulyatyev, V B [S.A. Khristianovich Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

2014-10-31

The results of an experimental study of laser-oxygen cutting of low-carbon steel using fibre and CO{sub 2} lasers are generalised. The dependence of roughness of the cut surface on the cutting parameters is investigated, and the conditions under which the surface roughness is minimal are formulated. It is shown that for both types of lasers these conditions can be expressed in the same way in terms of the dimensionless variables – the Péclet number Pe and the output power Q of laser radiation per unit thickness of the cut sheet – and take the form of the similarity laws: Pe = const, Q = const. The optimal values of Pe and Q are found. We have derived empirical expressions that relate the laser power and cutting speed with the thickness of the cut sheet under the condition of minimal roughness in the case of cutting by means of radiation from fibre and CO{sub 2} lasers. (laser technologies)

Optimization of CO2 laser cutting parameters on Austenitic type Stainless steel sheet

Science.gov (United States)

Parthiban, A.; Sathish, S.; Chandrasekaran, M.; Ravikumar, R.

2017-03-01

Thin AISI 316L stainless steel sheet widely used in sheet metal processing industries for specific applications. CO2 laser cutting is one of the most popular sheet metal cutting processes for cutting of sheets in different profile. In present work various cutting parameters such as laser power (2000 watts-4000 watts), cutting speed (3500mm/min - 5500 mm/min) and assist gas pressure (0.7 Mpa-0.9Mpa) for cutting of AISI 316L 2mm thickness stainless sheet. This experimentation was conducted based on Box-Behenken design. The aim of this work is to develop a mathematical model kerf width for straight and curved profile through response surface methodology. The developed mathematical models for straight and curved profile have been compared. The Quadratic models have the best agreement with experimental data, and also the shape of the profile a substantial role in achieving to minimize the kerf width. Finally the numerical optimization technique has been used to find out best optimum laser cutting parameter for both straight and curved profile cut.

Metal cutting by radiation from a CO2 laser with a self-filtering cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malikov, A G; Orishich, Anatolii M; Shulyat'ev, Viktor B

2009-01-01

The possibility of quality cutting by radiation from a CO 2 laser with an unstable self-filtering cavity (SFC) is experimentally investigated. The SFC provides the product of the divergence angle by the beam radius close to that for lower modes in a stable cavity (SC), however, at a higher radiation power, which favours faster cutting. In the far-field zone, the SFC beam has a diffraction structure with side maxima, which is usually considered as a negative factor in laser cutting. 25-mm-thick steel slabs have been cut. The comparison of the obtained results with known data on SC lasers shows that the principal characteristics of the cut (the width, edge roughness, specific expenditure of energy) are close in these lasers. A conclusion is made that at the chosen cavity parameters, the specific spatial structure of the SFC laser beam has no significant effect on the cut characteristics. (laser technologies)

Optimization of Cutting Parameters of the Haynes 718 Nickel Alloy With Gas CO2 Laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jana PETRŮ

2011-06-01

Full Text Available This article deals with the application of laser technology and the optimization of parameters in the area of nickel alloy laser cutting intended for application in the aircraft industry. The main goal is to outline possibilities of use of the laser technology, primarily its application in the area of 3D material cutting. This experiment is focused on the optimization of cutting parameters of the Haynes 718 alloy with a gas CO2 laser. Originating cuts are evaluated primarily from the point of view of cut quality and accompanying undesirable phenomena occurring in the process of cutting. In conclusion the results achieved in the metallographic laboratory are described and analyzed.

Development of cutting technique of reactor core internals by CO laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takano, G.; Beppu, S.; Matsumoto, O.; Sakamoto, N.; Onozawa, T.; Sugihara, M.; Miya, K.

1995-01-01

The CO laser is superior in the absorption characteristic to materials to the CO 2 laser due to its shorter wavelength. In consideration of this characteristic Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation is studying this applicability sponsored by the Ministry of International Trade Industry of Japan to cutting of reactor core internals of commercial nuclear power plant. In decommissioning of reactor core internals it is necessary to cut stainless steel plates of 305 mm thick. The authors cut stainless steel plates of up to 310mm thick in air and those of up to 150 mm thick underwater with a 20kW class laser. Further, models simulating key structural elements of PWR core internals were cut and secondary products to clarify the applicability of the CO laser cutting to reactor core internals were evaluated. (author)

Parameters Influence of CO2 Laser on Cutting Quality of Polymer Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Cep

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The article deals with evaluating of the resulting surface state of the three plastic materials and identification of suitable conditions for laser cutting with CO2 tube. As representative were chosen polypropylene, polymethylmethacrylate and polyamide. When cutting these types of materials it could melt eventually their re-sintering. A suitable combination of parameters is possible to achieve of sufficient quality of the cut. The samples were cut at different feed speed and laser power. Then they was compared on the basis of the measured roughness parameters Ra a Rz by using a portable touch roughness Hommel-Etamic W5 and dates was processed according to ČSN EN ISO 4287. Cutting of samples was realized at the Department of Machining, Assembly and Engineering Metrology, VŠB-TUO.

CO sub 2 laser cutting of ceramics and metal-ceramic composites. CO sub 2 -Laserschneiden von Keramik und Metall-Keramik-Verbunden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wielage, B.; Drozak, J. (Dortmund Univ. (Germany, F.R.). Lehrstuhl fuer Werkstofftechnologie)

1991-01-01

Oxide and non-oxide ceramics as well as active brazed and APS-sprayed metal-ceramic composites are cut by means of a 1500 Watt CO{sub 2} laser. In this context, the experience from ceramics cutting applications is applied to laser cutting of composites. The process parameters, which are adjusted to the property profile and the thickness of the material, permit cutting of ceramics of a maximum thickness of 10 mm with optimal cut edge quality and minimum damage to the material. The parameter sets were also optimized in the case of laser-cut active brazed and plasma-sprayed composites. In terms of roughness, composition and structure of the cut edge, composites can be optimally cut using oxygen as process gas. (orig.).

Critical element development of standard components for pipe welding/cutting by CO{sub 2} laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oka, Kiyoshi; Kakudate, Satoshi; Nakahira, Masataka [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Naka, Ibaraki (Japan). Naka Fusion Research Establishment] [and others

1994-11-01

In D-T burning reactors such as International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor(ITER), an internal access is inevitable for welding/cutting of cooling pipes of in-vessel components, because of spatial constraint due to a narrow port opening space. An internal-access pipe welding/cutting equipment is being developed in JAERI. Internal access is to approach through inside a pipe to a welding/cutting position, to use 10kW CO{sub 2} laser beam, and to be applicable to both welding and cutting with using a same processing head. A welding/cutting processing head with 10kW CO{sub 2} laser beam has been fabricated and the basic feasibility has been successfully demonstrated for studies of the internal-access pipe welding/cutting concept using 100-A stainless steel pipe with a thickness of 6.3mm. In this study, the optimum focal point of laser beam, laser power and traveling speed of the head have been investigated together with an adjusting mechanism of a relative distance between the head and the pipe wall. In addition, the radiation resistance of critical elements such as optical lens has been investigated. (author).

High speed pulsed laser cutting of LiCoO2 Li-ion battery electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Lutey, Adrian H. A.; Fortunato, Alessandro; Carmignato, Simone; Fiorini, Maurizio

2017-09-01

Laser cutting of Li-ion battery electrodes represents an alternative to mechanical blanking that avoids complications associated with tool wear and allows assembly of different cell geometries with a single device. In this study, laser cutting of LiCoO2 Li-ion battery electrodes is performed at up to 5m /s with a 1064nm wavelength nanosecond pulsed fiber laser with a maximum average power of 500W and a repetition rate of up to 2MHz . Minimum average cutting power for cathode and anode multi-layer films is established for 12 parameter groups with velocities over the range 1 - 5m /s , varying laser pulse fluence and overlap. Within the tested parameter range, minimum energy per unit cut length is found to decrease with increasing repetition rate and velocity. SEM analysis of the resulting cut edges reveals visible clearance widths in the range 20 - 50 μm , with cut quality found to improve with velocity due to a reduction in lateral heat conduction losses. Raman line map spectra reveal changes in the cathode at 60 μm from the cut edge, where bands at 486cm-1 and 595cm-1 , corresponding to the Eg and A1g modes of LiCoO2 , are replaced with a single wide band centered at 544cm-1 , and evidence of carbon black is no longer present. No changes in Raman spectra are observed in the anode. The obtained results suggest that further improvements in cutting efficiency and quality could be achieved by increasing the repetition rate above 2MHz , thereby improving ablation efficiency of the metallic conductor layers. The laser source utilized in the present study nonetheless represents an immediately available solution for repeatability and throughput that are superior to mechanical blanking.

The Influence of Different Assist Gases on Ductile Cast Iron Cutting by CO2 Laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meško J.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article deals with the technology and principles of the laser cutting of ductile cast iron. The properties of the CO2 laser beam, input parameters of the laser cutting, assist gases, the interaction of cut material and the stability of cutting process are described. The commonly used material (nodular cast iron - share of about 25% of all castings on the market and the method of the laser cutting of that material, including the technological parameters that influence the cutting edge, are characterized. Next, the application and use of this method in mechanical engineering practice is described, focusing on fixing and renovation of mechanical components such as removing the inflow gate from castings with the desired quality of the cut, without the further using of the chip machining technology. Experimental samples from the nodular cast iron were created by using different technological parameters of laser cutting. The heat affected zone (HAZ, its width, microstructure and roughness parameter Pt was monitored on the experimental samples (of thickness t = 13 mm. The technological parameters that were varied during the experiments included the type of assist gases (N2 and O2, to be more specific the ratio of gases, and the cutting speed, which ranged from 1.6 m/min to 0.32 m/min. Both parameters were changed until the desired properties were achieved.

Experimental comparison of laser energy losses in high-quality laser-oxygen cutting of low-carbon steel using radiation from fibre and CO2 lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golyshev, A A; Malikov, A G; Orishich, A M; Shulyat'ev, V B

2015-01-01

We report a comparative experimental study of laseroxygen cutting of low-carbon steel using a fibre laser with a wavelength of 1.07 μm and a CO 2 laser with a wavelength of 10.6 μm at the sheet thickness of 3 – 16 mm. For the two lasers we have measured the dependence of the cutting speed on the radiation power and determined the cutting speed at which the surface roughness is minimal. The coefficient of laser radiation absorption in the laser cutting process is measured for these lasers at different values of the cutting speed and radiation power. It is found that the minimal roughness of the cut surface is reached at the absorbed laser energy per unit volume of the removed material, equal to 11 – 13 J mm -3 ; this value is the same for the two lasers and does not depend on the sheet thickness. (laser technologies)

Modeling and Simulated Annealing Optimization of Surface Roughness in CO2 Laser Nitrogen Cutting of Stainless Steel

OpenAIRE

M. Madić; M. Radovanović; B. Nedić

2013-01-01

This paper presents a systematic methodology for empirical modeling and optimization of surface roughness in nitrogen, CO2 laser cutting of stainless steel . The surface roughness prediction model was developed in terms of laser power , cutting speed , assist gas pressure and focus position by using The artificial neural network ( ANN ) . To cover a wider range of laser cutting parameters and obtain an experimental database for the ANN model development, Taguchi 's L27 orthogonal array was im...

AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE APPROACH FOR THE PREDICTION OF SURFACE ROUGHNESS IN CO2 LASER CUTTING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MILOŠ MADIĆ

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In laser cutting, the cut quality is of great importance. Multiple non-linear effects of process parameters and their interactions make very difficult to predict cut quality. In this paper, artificial intelligence (AI approach was applied to predict the surface roughness in CO2 laser cutting. To this aim, artificial neural network (ANN model of surface roughness was developed in terms of cutting speed, laser power and assist gas pressure. The experimental results obtained from Taguchi’s L25 orthogonal array were used to develop ANN model. The ANN mathematical model of surface roughness was expressed as explicit nonlinear function of the selected input parameters. Statistical results indicate that the ANN model can predict the surface roughness with good accuracy. It was showed that ANNs may be used as a good alternative in analyzing the effects of cutting parameters on the surface roughness.

Practical side of cutting. Part 3. ; CO2 laser cutting. Setsudan gijutsu no jissai. 3. ; Laser setsudan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miyazaki, T.; Shinonaga, H. (Toshiba Corp., Tokyo (Japan))

1993-03-05

The nature peculiar to laser beam makes it difficult to understand the phenomena in laser cutting. Quoting an example of cutting steel materials, practical minimum basic subjects, factors governing the cutting phenomena with points to be considered, and the current state of the technology are outlined. Various kinds of expert systems and automatic programming devices have been placed on the market to make NC input easier in laser cutting. Shape accuracy, cutting quality, cutting speed, applicable plate thickness, etc. are among the subjects required for laser cutting. The factors are the method of scanning, characteristics of laser beam, work, machining conditions, etc. The factors obstructing stable processing are the change in the ambient temperature, humidity, dust, oil mist, vibration, etc. The basic factors which control the laser cutting are the power density and its distribution at the working point. Pulse cutting is employed when continuous laser heat input is not appropriate. Summarized report is made on the focal point and assist gas. 16 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.

Experimental comparison of laser energy losses in high-quality laser-oxygen cutting of low-carbon steel using radiation from fibre and CO{sub 2} lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Golyshev, A A; Malikov, A G; Orishich, A M; Shulyat' ev, V B [S.A. Khristianovich Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

2015-09-30

We report a comparative experimental study of laseroxygen cutting of low-carbon steel using a fibre laser with a wavelength of 1.07 μm and a CO{sub 2} laser with a wavelength of 10.6 μm at the sheet thickness of 3 – 16 mm. For the two lasers we have measured the dependence of the cutting speed on the radiation power and determined the cutting speed at which the surface roughness is minimal. The coefficient of laser radiation absorption in the laser cutting process is measured for these lasers at different values of the cutting speed and radiation power. It is found that the minimal roughness of the cut surface is reached at the absorbed laser energy per unit volume of the removed material, equal to 11 – 13 J mm{sup -3}; this value is the same for the two lasers and does not depend on the sheet thickness. (laser technologies)

Underwater laser cutting of metallic structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfille, J.P.; Schildknecht, J.; Ramaswami, V.S.

1993-01-01

In the frame of an european contract, the feasibility of the underwater cutting with a CO 2 laser power is studied. The aim of this work is the dismantling metallic structures of reactors pools. The paper analyzes the general concept of the experimental device, the underwater cutting head, the experimenting vessel, examples of cuttings in dismantling situation with a 500 W CO 2 laser, and examples of cuttings with a 5 kW CO 2 laser. (author). 2 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs

Multibeam Fibre Laser Cutting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemming Ove

The appearance of the high power high brilliance fibre laser has opened for new possibilities in laser materials processing. In laser cutting this laser has demonstrated high cutting performance compared to the dominating cutting laser, the CO2-laser. However, quality problems in fibre......-laser cutting have until now limited its application in metal cutting. In this paper the first results of proof-of-principle studies applying a new approach (patent pending) for laser cutting with high brightness short wavelength lasers will be presented. In the approach, multi beam patterns are applied...... to control the melt flow out of the cut kerf resulting in improved cut quality in metal cutting. The beam patterns in this study are created by splitting up beams from 2 single mode fibre lasers and combining these beams into a pattern in the cut kerf. The results are obtained with a total of 550 W of single...

Spatial structure of focused beams in high-power fiber and CO2 lasers and peculiarities of their application in cutting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasiltsov, V V; Galushkin, M G; Dubrov, V D; Egorov, E N; Panchenko, V Ya; Soloviev, A V

2016-01-01

The requirements for quality parameters in radiation of different wavelength (i.e. CO 2 lasers and fiber lasers) have been defined so as to perform efficient oxygen-free gas laser cutting of large-thickness samples. The main channels of consumption of radiation power in the cutting process have been considered. It is noted that focused beam divergence not only decreases the cutting speed, but also causes cutting quality deterioration. (paper)

Multi-Criteria Analysis of Laser Cut Surface Characteristics in CO2 Laser Cutting of Stainless Steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Radovanović

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper an approach for multi-criteria analysis of laser cut surface characteristics using multi-criteria decision making (MCDM approach was presented. Laser cutting experiment was conducted based on Taguchi’s L27 experimental design by varying laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure and focus position at three levels. Multi-criteria analysis was performed by using the weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS method while considering burr height, drag line separation, depth of separation line, surface roughness and perpendicularity of the cut as assessment criteria. Based on conducted experimental investigation the MCDM model with 27 alternatives (laser cuts and five criteria was developed. The relative importance of criteria was determined by using pair-wise comparison matrix and geometric mean method of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP method.

Modeling and Simulated Annealing Optimization of Surface Roughness in CO2 Laser Nitrogen Cutting of Stainless Steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Madić

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a systematic methodology for empirical modeling and optimization of surface roughness in nitrogen, CO2 laser cutting of stainless steel . The surface roughness prediction model was developed in terms of laser power , cutting speed , assist gas pressure and focus position by using The artificial neural network ( ANN . To cover a wider range of laser cutting parameters and obtain an experimental database for the ANN model development, Taguchi 's L27 orthogonal array was implemented in the experimental plan. The developed ANN model was expressed as an explicit nonlinear function , while the influence of laser cutting parameters and their interactions on surface roughness were analyzed by generating 2D and 3D plots . The final goal of the experimental study Focuses on the determinationof the optimum laser cutting parameters for the minimization of surface roughness . Since the solution space of the developed ANN model is complex, and the possibility of many local solutions is great, simulated annealing (SA was selected as a method for the optimization of surface roughness.

Multibeam fiber laser cutting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemming Ove; Hansen, Klaus Schütt; Nielsen, Jakob Skov

2009-01-01

The appearance of the high power high brilliance fiber laser has opened for new possibilities in laser materials processing. In laser cutting this laser has demonstrated high cutting performance compared to the dominating Cutting laser, the CO2 laser. However, quality problems in fiber......-laser cutting have until now limited its application to metal cutting. In this paper the first results of proof-of-principle Studies applying a new approach (patent pending) for laser cutting with high brightness and short wavelength lasers will be presented. In the approach, multibeam patterns are applied...... to control the melt flow out of the cut kerf resulting in improved cut quality in metal cutting. The beam patterns in this study are created by splitting up beams from two single mode fiber lasers and combining these beams into a pattern in the cut kerf. The results are obtained with a total of 550 W...

Comparison of surface roughness quality created by abrasive water jet and CO2 laser beam cutting

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Zeleňák, M.; Valíček, Jan; Klich, Jiří; Židková, P.

2012-01-01

Roč. 19, č. 3 (2012), s. 481-485 ISSN 1330-3651 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ED2.1.00/03.0082 Institutional support: RVO:68145535 Keywords : abrasive waterjet cut ting * CO2 laser beam cut ting * optical profilometry * titanium sample Subject RIV: JQ - Machines ; Tools Impact factor: 0.601, year: 2012 http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=129054

Theoretical aspects of fibre laser cutting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahrle, A; Beyer, E, E-mail: achim.mahrle@iws.fraunhofer.d [University of Technology Dresden, Institute for Surface and Manufacturing Technology, PO Box, 01062 Dresden (Germany)

2009-09-07

Fibre lasers offer distinct advantages over established laser systems with respect to power efficiency, beam guidance and beam quality. Consequently, the potential of these new laser beam sources will be increasingly exploited for laser cutting applications that are conventionally carried out with CO{sub 2} lasers. However, theoretical estimates of the effective absorptivity at the cut front suggest that the shorter wavelength of the fibre laser in combination with its high focusability seems to be primarily advantageous for thin sheet metal cutting whereas the CO{sub 2} laser is probably still capable of cutting thicker materials more efficiently. This surprising result is a consequence of the absorptivity behaviour of metals that shows essential quantitative differences for the corresponding wavelengths of both laser sources as a function of the angle of incidence between the laser beam and the material to be cut. In evaluation of the revealed dependences, solution strategies for an improvement of the efficiency of fibre laser cutting of thicker metal sheets are suggested.

Underwater laser cutting of metal structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alfille, J.P.; Prunele, D. de [CEA Centre d`Etudes de Saclay, 91 - Gif-sur-Yvette (France). Direction des Technologies Avancees; Pilot, G. [CEA Centre d`Etudes de Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France). Dept. de Protection de l`Environnement et des Installations; Fredrick, P.; Ramaswami, V.S.; Muys, P. [Radius Engineering, Gent (Belgium)

1994-12-31

Cutting tests were carried out on stainless steel (304L) in air and under 7 meters of water (application to reactor pools), using CO{sub 2} and YAG lasers; results concerned cutting speed, quality of cut, cutting thickness. By-products of sectioning operations using a CO{sub 2} laser were studied: dross, aerosols, suspended particles in water, gas analysis, chemical analysis of the aerosols. Same measurements are currently being taken in the case of the YAG laser with beam transported via optical fiber. (from author). 16 figs., 2 tabs., 3 refs.

Underwater laser cutting of metal structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfille, J.P.; Prunele, D. de

1994-01-01

Cutting tests were carried out on stainless steel (304L) in air and under 7 meters of water (application to reactor pools), using CO 2 and YAG lasers; results concerned cutting speed, quality of cut, cutting thickness. By-products of sectioning operations using a CO 2 laser were studied: dross, aerosols, suspended particles in water, gas analysis, chemical analysis of the aerosols. Same measurements are currently being taken in the case of the YAG laser with beam transported via optical fiber. (from author). 16 figs., 2 tabs., 3 refs

Laser Cutting, Development Trends

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemming Ove

1999-01-01

In this paper a short review of the development trends in laser cutting will be given.The technology, which is the fastest expanding industrial production technology will develop in both its core market segment: Flat bed cutting of sheet metal, as it will expand in heavy industry and in cutting...... of 3-dimensional shapes.The CO2-laser will also in the near future be the dominating laser source in the market, although the new developments in ND-YAG-lasers opens for new possibilities for this laser type....

Study of melt flow dynamics and influence on quality for CO{sub 2} laser fusion cutting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Riveiro, A; Quintero, F; Lusquinos, F; Comesana, R; Pou, J [Applied Physics Department, University of Vigo, ETSII, Lagoas-Marcosende, 9, 36310 Vigo (Spain)

2011-04-06

The understanding of melt flow dynamics during fusion laser cutting is still a topic of great importance because this determines the quality characteristics of the processed workpiece. Despite the complexity of the experimental study of the physical processes involved in this technique, fusion laser cutting can be visualized during the processing of glass because this material absorbs the laser radiation provided by a CO{sub 2} laser but shows transparency to visible radiation. Then, we present in this work the results of the study of the melt flow dynamics during laser cutting of glass. Under different experimental conditions, the dynamics of the cutting front and its complete geometry (front wall inclination), and the evolution of the melt along the cut edge were analysed using a high-speed video camera to study the process. A phenomenon concerning the plasma plume formed during the process was observed, which has not been previously reported in the literature. This can displace the normal shock wave (MSD) commonly formed in the inlet kerf and can affect the assist gas flow into the kerf. On the other hand, the analysis of the recorded images allowed the determination of not only the amount of molten material along the cut edge but also the direction and velocity of the melt. Relevant processing parameters affecting the flow of molten material were assessed. These results were used as a basis to explain the different processes involved in the generation of dross, a typical imperfection appearing in laser cutting.

Calculation of mass transfer in the remote cutting of metals by radiation of a high-power repetitively pulsed CO2 laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gladush, G G; Rodionov, N B

2002-01-01

The mechanism of remote cutting of steel plates by radiation of a high-power repetitively pulsed CO 2 laser is theoretically studied. The models of melt removal by the gravity force and the recoil pressure of material vapour are proposed and the sufficient conditions for the initiation of cutting are determined. A numerical model of a thermally thin plate was employed to describe the cutting for large focal spots. (interaction of laser radiation with matter. laser plasma)

Variable diameter CO2 laser ring-cutting system adapted to a zoom microscope for applications on polymer tapes.

Science.gov (United States)

Förster, Erik; Bohnert, Patrick; Kraus, Matthias; Kilper, Roland; Müller, Ute; Buchmann, Martin; Brunner, Robert

2016-11-20

This paper presents the conception and implementation of a variable diameter ring-cutting system for a CO2 laser with a working wavelength of 10.6 μm. The laser-cutting system is adapted to an observation zoom microscope for combined use and is applicable for the extraction of small circular areas from polymer films, such as forensic adhesive tapes in a single shot. As an important characteristic for our application, the variable diameter ring-cutting system provides telecentricity in the target area. Ring diameters are continuously tunable between 500 μm and 2 mm. A minimum width of less than 20 μm was found for the ring profile edge. The basic characteristics of the system, including telecentricity, were experimentally evaluated and demonstrated by cutting experiments on different polymer tapes and further exemplary samples.

Economic technology of laser cutting

Science.gov (United States)

Fedin, Alexander V.; Shilov, Igor V.; Vassiliev, Vladimir V.; Malov, Dmitri V.; Peskov, Vladimir N.

2000-02-01

The laser cutting of color metals and alloys by a thickness more than 2 mm has significant difficulties due to high reflective ability and large thermal conduction. We made it possible to raise energy efficiency and quality of laser cutting by using a laser processing system (LPS) consisting both of the YAG:Nd laser with passive Q-switching on base of LiF:F2- crystals and the CO2 laser. A distinctive feature of the LPS is that the radiation of different lasers incorporated in a coaxial beam has simultaneously high level of peak power (more than 400 kW in a TEM00 mode) and significant level of average power (up to 800 W in a TEM01 mode of the CO2 laser). The application of combined radiation for cutting of an aluminum alloy of D16 type made it possible to decrease the cutting energy threshold in 1.7 times, to increase depth of treatment from 2 up to 4 mm, and velocity from 0.015 up to 0.7 m/min, and also to eliminate application of absorptive coatings. At cutting of steels the velocity of treatment was doubled, and also an oxygen flow was eliminated from the technological process and replaced by the air. The obtained raise of energy efficiency and quality of cutting is explained by an essential size reducing of a formed penetration channel and by the shifting of a thermal cutting mode from melting to evaporation. The evaluation of interaction efficiency of a combined radiation was produced on the basis of non-stationary thermal-hydrodynamic model of a heating source moving as in the cutting direction, and also into the depth of material.

Setup and maintenance of manufacturing quality in CO2 laser cutting

OpenAIRE

Thombansen, U.; Hermanns, T.; Stoyanov, S.

2014-01-01

Manufacturing of parts by laser cutting is widely accepted in industry. In the market there are systems which are highly focused on special applications such as robot based 3D cutting in the automotive industry but also all-round machines which cut a diverse set of sheet steels at a variety of thicknesses. Most of these machines use a melt based cutting process where the molten material is ejected by an assist gas. Quality of the laser cut part is determined by a dross free cut with minimal r...

CO2 laser cutting of advanced high strength steels (AHSS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamikiz, A.; Lacalle, L.N. Lopez de; Sanchez, J.A.; Pozo, D. del; Etayo, J.M.; Lopez, J.M.

2005-01-01

This article demonstrates the optimum working areas and cutting conditions for the laser cutting of a series of advanced high strength steels (AHSS). The parameters that most influence the cutting of sheet metal have been studied and the results have been divided into two large groups with thickness of more and less than 1 mm. The influence of the material and, more important, the effect of coating have been taken into account. The results, have demonstrate very different behaviours between the thinnest and thickest sheets, whilst the variation of the cutting parameters due to the influence of the material is less relevant. The optimum cutting areas and the quality of the cut evaluated with different criteria are presented. Finally, the best position for the laser beam has been observed to be underneath the sheet

Cutting of Stainless Steel With Fiber and Disk Laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wandera, Catherine; Salminen, Antti; Olsen, Flemming Ove

2006-01-01

Laser cutting is a major application of laser materials processing. The cutting is usually performed with CO2-laser due to its good beam quality and its relatively low costs of ownership. Ever since entering the market the high power solid state lasers have been expected to achieve a dominating...... of both of the new lasers against traditional CO2-laser. The results showed that the new lasers offer a great potential in improving the productivity of cutting phase with an acceptable edge quality. This is emphasized in thin sheets of 1.3 and 2.3 mm thickness. In that case the width of the cut kerf...... of each thickness. The results were very promising and it can be stated that these new laser types have a great potential in cutting and will probably gain a considerable market share not only in 3D cutting applications but also in ordinary flat sheet cutting....

Recent developments in CO2 lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Keming

1993-05-01

CO2 lasers have been used in industry mainly for such things as cutting, welding, and surface processing. To conduct a broad spectrum of high-speed and high-quality applications, most of the developments in industrial CO2 lasers at the ILT are aimed at increasing the output power, optimizing the beam quality, and reducing the production costs. Most of the commercial CO2 lasers above 5 kW are transverse-flow systems using dc excitation. The applications of these lasers are limited due to the lower beam quality, the poor point stability, and the lower modulation frequency. To overcome the problems we developed a fast axial- flow CO2 laser using rf excitation with an output of 13 kW. In section 2 some of the results are discussed concerning the gas flow, the discharge, the resonator design, optical effects of active medium, the aerodynamic window, and the modulation of the output power. The first CO2 lasers ever built are diffusion-cooled systems with conventional dc excited cylindrical discharge tubes surrounded by cooling jackets. The output power per unit length is limited to 50 W/m by those lasers with cylindrical tubes. In the past few years considerable increases in the output power were achieved, using new mechanical geometries, excitation- techniques, and resonator designs. This progress in diffusion-cooled CO2 lasers is presented in section 3.

Advanced cutting techniques: laser and fissuration cutting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Migliorati, B.; Gay, P.

1984-01-01

Experimental tests have been performed using CO 2 laser with output power 1 to 15 kW to evaluate the effect of varying the following parameters: material (carbon steel Fe 42 C, stainless steel AISI 304, concrete), laser power, beam characteristics, work piece velocity, gas type and distribution on the laser interaction zone. In the case of concrete, drilling depths of 80 mm were obtained in a few seconds using a 10 kW laser beam. Moreover pieces of 160 mm were cut at 0.01 meters per minute. Results with carbon steel indicated maximum thicknesses of 110 mm, cut at 0.01 meters per minute with 10 kW, depths about 20% lower were obtained with the AISI 304 stainless steel. A parallel investigation was aimed at characterizing particulate emission during the laser cutting process. At the end of the research it was possible to elaborate a preliminary proposal concerning a laser based dismantling system for the application to a typical Nuclear Power Station. (author)

Material Processing with High Power CO2-Lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Bakowsky, Lothar

1986-10-01

After a period of research and development lasertechnique now is regarded as an important instrument for flexible, economic and fully automatic manufacturing. Especially cutting of flat metal sheets with high power C02-lasers and CNC controlled two or three axes handling systems is a wide spread. application. Three dimensional laser cutting, laser-welding and -heat treatment are just at the be ginning of industrial use in production lines. The main. advantages of laser technology. are - high. accuracy - high, processing velocity - law thermal distortion. - no tool abrasion. The market for laser material processing systems had 1985 a volume of 300 Mio S with growth rates between, 20 % and 30 %. The topic of this lecture are hiTrh. power CO2-lasers. Besides this systems two others are used as machining tools, Nd-YAG- and Eximer lasers. All applications of high. power CO2-lasers to industrial material processing show that high processing velocity and quality are only guaranteed in case of a stable intensity. profile on the workpiece. This is only achieved by laser systems without any power and mode fluctuations and by handling systems of high accuracy. Two applications in the automotive industry are described, below as examples for laser cutting and laser welding of special cylindrical motor parts.

Laser cutting of high manganese cast steel; Komangan chuko no laser setsudan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kataoka, Y.; Tokunaga, T. [University of Industrial Technology, Kanagawa (Japan); Miyazaki, T. [Chiba Institute of Technology, Chiba (Japan)

1994-08-25

This paper discusses applicability of CO2 laser to cut high manganese cast steel, and investigates the cutting conditions and characteristics. The tested material is made of steel scrap, ferro Mn and ferro Cr of 50 kg in total, which was deoxidized by using pure aluminum and injected into CO2 die by means of the ordinary casting method to make a circular rod with a diameter of 28 mm. The rod was given a heating and water toughening treatment in a muffle furnace maintaining N2 atmosphere. The base structure is an austenite system of Mn 12.4% by mass with hardness of MHV 220 to 230. The paper describes discussions on test pieces (with a thickness of 2 mm) fabricated under a laser beam frequency of 150 Hz, power outputs of 250, 350 and 500 W, and cutting speeds of 100, 300 and 500 mm/min. The cutting width increases as the laser power is increased, but is not governed by the cutting speed. Increased cutting speed roughens the surface of a cut face. The laser cutting has caused no change in hardness of the base material, and no processing deterioration has been recognized. As described, the laser cutting can be applied to finish-cutting if the cutting condition is selected properly. Simplification of the cutting process and improvement of working environment can be expected from the laser cutting. 14 refs., 12 figs., 2 tabs.

Laser beam cutting method. Laser ko ni yoru kaitai koho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kutsumizu, A. (Obayashi Corp., Osaka (Japan))

1991-07-01

In this special issue paper concerning the demolition of concrete structures, was introduced a demolition of concrete structures using laser, of which practical application is expected due to the remarkable progress of generating power and efficiency of laser radiator. The characteristics of laser beam which can give a temperature of one million centigrade at the irradiated spot, the laser radiator consisting of laser medium, laser resonator and pumping apparatus, and the laser kinds for working, such as CO{sub 2} laser, YAG laser and CO laser, were described. The basic constitution of laser cutting equipment consisting of large generating power radiator, beam transmitter, beam condenser, and nozzle for working was also illustrated. Furthermore, strong and weak points in the laser cutting for concrete and reinforcement were enumerated. Applications of laser to cutting of reinforced and unreinforced concrete constructions were shown, and the concept and safety measure for application of laser to practical demolition was discussed. 5 refs., 8 figs.

Thermal damage produced by high-irradiance continuous wave CO2 laser cutting of tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Schomacker, K T; Walsh, J T; Flotte, T J; Deutsch, T F

1990-01-01

Thermal damage produced by continuous wave (cw) CO2 laser ablation of tissue in vitro was measured for irradiances ranging from 360 W/cm2 to 740 kW/cm2 in order to investigate the extent to which ablative cooling can limit tissue damage. Damage zones thinner than 100 microns were readily produced using single pulses to cut guinea pig skin as well as bovine cornea, aorta, and myocardium. Multiple pulses can lead to increased damage. However, a systematic decrease in damage with irradiance, predicted theoretically by an evaporation model of ablation, was not observed. The damage-zone thickness was approximately constant around the periphery of the cut, consistent with the existence of a liquid layer which stores heat and leads to tissue damage, and with a model of damage and ablation recently proposed by Zweig et al.

Recent Results in High Power CO2-Laser Cutting for Shipbuilding Industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemming Ove; Juhl, Thomas Winther; Nielsen, Jakob Skov

2003-01-01

In 1997 a high power laser cutting and welding test facility was established at the Danish shipyard Odense Steel Shipyard (OSS). Research and development projects were initiated in order to establish the basis for applying the full power of the laser for laser-cutting, by developing mirror based...

Recent results in mirror based high power laser cutting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemming Ove; Nielsen, Jakob Skov; Elvang, Mads

2004-01-01

In this paper, recent results in high power laser cutting, obtained in reseach and development projects are presented. Two types of mirror based focussing systems for laser cutting have been developed and applied in laser cutting studies on CO2-lasers up to 12 kW. In shipyard environment cutting...... speed increase relative to state-of-the-art cutting of over 100 % has been achieved....

CO{sub 2} laser cutting of advanced high strength steels (AHSS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lamikiz, A. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the Basque Country, ETSII-UPV, c/Alameda de Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain)]. E-mail: implamea@bi.ehu.es; Lacalle, L.N. Lopez de [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the Basque Country, ETSII-UPV, c/Alameda de Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Sanchez, J.A. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the Basque Country, ETSII-UPV, c/Alameda de Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Pozo, D. del [ROBOTIKER Technology Centre, Parque Tecnologico, Edif. 202, 48170 Zamudio (Spain); Etayo, J.M. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the Basque Country, ETSII-UPV, c/Alameda de Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); ROBOTIKER Technology Centre, Parque Tecnologico, Edif. 202, 48170 Zamudio (Spain); Lopez, J.M. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the Basque Country, ETSII-UPV, c/Alameda de Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); ROBOTIKER Technology Centre, Parque Tecnologico, Edif. 202, 48170 Zamudio (Spain)

2005-04-15

This article demonstrates the optimum working areas and cutting conditions for the laser cutting of a series of advanced high strength steels (AHSS). The parameters that most influence the cutting of sheet metal have been studied and the results have been divided into two large groups with thickness of more and less than 1 mm. The influence of the material and, more important, the effect of coating have been taken into account. The results, have demonstrate very different behaviours between the thinnest and thickest sheets, whilst the variation of the cutting parameters due to the influence of the material is less relevant. The optimum cutting areas and the quality of the cut evaluated with different criteria are presented. Finally, the best position for the laser beam has been observed to be underneath the sheet.

INTERACTION OF LASER RADIATION WITH MATTER. LASER PLASMA: Calculation of mass transfer in the remote cutting of metals by radiation of a high-power repetitively pulsed CO2 laser

Science.gov (United States)

Gladush, G. G.; Rodionov, N. B.

2002-01-01

The mechanism of remote cutting of steel plates by radiation of a high-power repetitively pulsed CO2 laser is theoretically studied. The models of melt removal by the gravity force and the recoil pressure of material vapour are proposed and the sufficient conditions for the initiation of cutting are determined. A numerical model of a thermally thin plate was employed to describe the cutting for large focal spots.

An experimental study on laser drilling and cutting of composite materials for the aerospace industry using excimer and CO2 sources

Science.gov (United States)

dell'Erba, M.; Galantucci, L. M.; Miglietta, S.

This paper reports on the results of research which investigated the potential for the application of an excimer laser in the field of composite material drilling and cutting, by comparing this technology with that using CO2 sources. In particular, the scope of the work was to check whether the interaction between excimer lasers and composite materials, whose characteristic feature is the absence of thermal transfer, could yield better results than those obtainable with CO2 sources once heat transfer-induced difficulties had been eliminated. The materials selected for the experiments were multilayer composites having an epoxy resin matrix (65 percent in volume), with aramid fiber (Kevlar), carbon fiber and glass fiber as reinforcing materials, all of considerable interest for the aerospace industry. Optimal operational parameters were identified in relation to each source with a view to obtaining undersize holes or through cuts exhibiting severed areas of good quality. A comparison between the two types of processing carried out show that rims processed by excimer lasers are of better quality - particularly so with Kevlar - whereas the ablation rate is undoubtedly rather low compared with the CO2 technology.

Laser cutting of Kevlar laminates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

VanCleave, R.A.

1977-09-01

An investigation has been conducted of the use of laser energy for cutting contours, diameters, and holes in flat and shaped Kevlar 49 fiber-reinforced epoxy laminates as an alternate to conventional machining. The investigation has shown that flat laminates 6.35 mm thick may be cut without backup by using a high-powered (1000-watt) continuous wave CO/sub 2/ laser at high feedrates (33.87 mm per second). The cut produced was free of the burrs and delaminations resulting from conventional machining methods without intimate contact backup. In addition, the process cycle time was greatly reduced.

Theoretical and experimental aspects of laser cutting with a direct diode laser

Science.gov (United States)

Costa Rodrigues, G.; Pencinovsky, J.; Cuypers, M.; Duflou, J. R.

2014-10-01

Recent developments in beam coupling techniques have made it possible to scale up the power of diode lasers with a laser beam quality suitable for laser cutting of metal sheets. In this paper a prototype of a Direct Diode Laser (DDL) source (BPP of 22 mm-mrad) is analyzed in terms of efficiency and cut performance and compared with two established technologies, CO2 and fiber lasers. An analytical model based on absorption calculations is used to predict the performance of the studied laser source with a good agreement with experimental results. Furthermore results of fusion cutting of stainless steel and aluminium alloys as well as oxygen cutting of structural steel are presented, demonstrating that industrial relevant cutting speeds with high cutting quality can now be achieved with DDL.

TEA CO2 laser machining of CFRP composite

Science.gov (United States)

Salama, A.; Li, L.; Mativenga, P.; Whitehead, D.

2016-05-01

Carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have found wide applications in the aerospace, marine, sports and automotive industries owing to their lightweight and acceptable mechanical properties compared to the commonly used metallic materials. Machining of CFRP composites using lasers can be challenging due to inhomogeneity in the material properties and structures, which can lead to thermal damages during laser processing. In the previous studies, Nd:YAG, diode-pumped solid-state, CO2 (continuous wave), disc and fibre lasers were used in cutting CFRP composites and the control of damages such as the size of heat-affected zones (HAZs) remains a challenge. In this paper, a short-pulsed (8 μs) transversely excited atmospheric pressure CO2 laser was used, for the first time, to machine CFRP composites. The laser has high peak powers (up to 250 kW) and excellent absorption by both the carbon fibre and the epoxy binder. Design of experiment and statistical modelling, based on response surface methodology, was used to understand the interactions between the process parameters such as laser fluence, repetition rate and cutting speed and their effects on the cut quality characteristics including size of HAZ, machining depth and material removal rate (MRR). Based on this study, process parameter optimization was carried out to minimize the HAZ and maximize the MRR. A discussion is given on the potential applications and comparisons to other lasers in machining CFRP.

New pulsed YAG laser performances in cutting thick metallic materials for nuclear applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfille, J.P.; Prunele, D. de; Pilot, G.

1996-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the capacities of the pulsed YAG laser thick cutting on metallic material and to compare with the CO 2 laser capacities. Stainless steel (304L) cutting tests were made in air and underwater using CO 2 and YAG lasers. A performance assessment was made for each laser and the wastes produced in the cutting operation were measured and the gases and the aerosols analyzed. The results show that the pulsed YAG laser is high performance tool for thick cutting and particularly attractive for nuclear applications

Effects of electrocautery, CO/sub 2/ laser, and contact Nd:YAG laser scalpel on the healing of intestinal incision

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Puolakkainen, P.; Brackett, K.; Sankar, M.Y.; Joffe, S.; Schroeder, T.

1987-01-01

Leakage after intestinal resection is a serious complication with a high mortality rate. A recent study claims that cutting the intestine with the CO/sub 2/ laser improves the healing of intestinal anastomoses. The present study was undertaken to analyze the effects of electrocautery, CO/sub 2/ laser, and contact Nd:YAG laser on the healing of intestinal incisions. Fifteen piglets were used and the cutting and reanastomosing were performed by using all cutting methods in each animal in randomized order. Resection sites were 50 cm, 100 cm, and 150 cm distal to the ligament of Treitz. On the seventh day the bursting pressures were measured for each anastomosis. They were 172 +/- 17 mmHg for normal bowel segment and 133 +/- 12, 135 +/- 40, and 139 +/- 17 mmHg for electrocautery, CO/sub 2/ laser, and Nd:YAG laser, respectively. There were no mortality, no anastomotic leaks, and no statistically significant differences in the bursting pressures, in histology, or in the healing of anastomotic sites, indicating that electrocautery, CO/sub 2/ laser, and contact Nd:YAG laser scalpel can safely be used in the surgery of small intestine.

Relation between Cutting Surface Quality and Alloying Element Contents when Using a CO2 Laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Litecká

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the influence of material content on changes in the quality parameters of the cutting surface when cutting with a laser. The study focuses on experiments to find the effect of material structure and cutting parameters on surface roughness, Vickers microhardness and precision of laser cutting. The experimental results are shown in graphs which illustrate the suitability of materials for achieving required cutting surface quality parameters. These results can be used for optimizing production in practical applications using a laser cutting machine.

High power CO2 lasers and their applications in nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nath, A.K.

2002-01-01

Carbon dioxide laser is one of the most popular lasers in industry for material processing applications. It has very high power capability and high efficiency, can be operated in continuous wave (CW), modulated and pulsed modes, and has relatively low cost. Due to these characteristics high power CO 2 lasers are being used worldwide in different industries for a wide variety of materials processing operations. In nuclear industry, CO 2 laser has made its way in many applications. Some of the tasks performed by multikilowatt CO 2 laser are cutting operations necessary to remove unprocessible hardware from reactor fuel assemblies, sealing/fixing/removing radioactive contaminations onto/from concrete surfaces and surface modification of engineering components for improved surface mechanical and metallurgical characteristics. We have developed various models of CW CO 2 lasers of power up to 12 kW and a high repetitive rate TEA (Transversely Excited Atmospheric pressure) CO 2 laser of 500 W average power operating at 500 Hz repetition rates. We have carried many materials processing applications of direct relevance to DAE. Recent work includes laser welding of end plug PFBR fuel tubes, martensitic stainless steel and titanium alloy, surface cladding of turbine blades made of Ni-super alloy with stellite 694, fabrication on graded material of stainless steel and stellite, and laser scabbling, drilling and cutting of concrete which have potential application in decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. A brief overview of these indigenous developments will be presented. (author)

High-powered CO2 -lasers and noise control

Science.gov (United States)

Honkasalo, Antero; Kuronen, Juhani

High-power CO2 -lasers are being more and more widely used for welding, drilling and cutting in machine shops. In the near future, different kinds of surface treatments will also become routine practice with laser units. The industries benefitting most from high power lasers will be: the automotive industry, shipbuilding, the offshore industry, the aerospace industry, the nuclear and the chemical processing industries. Metal processing lasers are interesting from the point of view of noise control because the working tool is a laser beam. It is reasonable to suppose that the use of such laser beams will lead to lower noise levels than those connected with traditional metal processing methods and equipment. In the following presentation, the noise levels and possible noise-control problems attached to the use of high-powered CO2 -lasers are studied.

Adoption of CO2 laser cutting system for bridge factory. Kyoryo kojo ni okeru CO2 laser setsudan system no tekiyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hata, A.; Ogaya, S.; Tamaoki, N. (NKK Corp., Tokyo (Japan))

1994-05-01

This paper describes a cutting process structured for an objective of accuracy improvement and high-speed automation of cutting processes for thin sheet steels used for bridge building. Objects of the cutting process are such thin sheet steels as lateral ribs (with a thickness of about 9 mm to 14 mm) with complex shapes and a large number of edges to be cut. The process lines consist of two lines for large member and small member cutting. The paper details the numerical controls including the chart system, 'BRISTLAN' that has been developed previously, a CAM information preparing system, and a CAM system. The process is capable of a scheduled treatment of up to eight steel sheets at one time by instructing two corners of steel sheets arranged on a slat conveyor. Cutting lengths of 800 m to 900 m per day have been recorded currently. Cutting speed for a S 400 shot-blast steel sheet with a thickness of 12 mm is 750 m/min with a laser output of 2000 W. In a treatment with a common cutting system to make outlines of each member uniform, the cutting length was decreased by 6.7% to 35%, and the yield was improved by 1.9% to 2.9%. 5 figs., 3 tabs.

Laser cutting, State of the art and technological trends

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemming Ove

1999-01-01

In this paper a short review of the development trends in laser cutting will be given. The technoloty which is the fastest expanding industrial production technology will develop in both its core market segment: Flat bed cutting of sheet metal as it will expand in heavy industry and in cutting of 3......-dimensional shapes. The CO2 laser will also in the near futre be the domination laser source in the market, although the new developments in ND-YAG-lasers opens for new possibilities for this laser type....

Qualitative analysis of laser cutting of CV joints for automobile industry

Science.gov (United States)

Aboites, Vicente; Ramirez, Roberto; Rayas, Juan

2005-02-01

The optimization of an automatic laser cutting system is reported. This CO2 laser system assisted by an O2 gas jet is used in the cutting of Constant Velocity (CV) joint for the automotive industry. The experimental parameters varied in order to obtain cuts with low roughness were the laser power, cutting speed and oxygen pressure. A mathematical model is presented which explains many of the features of the qualitative optimization realized.

Cutting thin sheets of allyl diglycol carbonate (CR-39) with a CW CO2, laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kukreja, L.M.; Bhawalkar, D.D.; Basu, C.; Goswami, J.N.

1984-01-01

Recent studies have shown that Allyl Diglycol Carbonate, commercially known as CR-39 (the most sensitive among etch track detectors) can detect relativistic oxygen and other heavier nuclei. We are using large sheets of special grade CR-39 (DOP) in our experiment in Space Shuttle-Spacelab-3. As CR-39 is a highly brittle substance, special care is required to cut CR-39 shetts, especially in case of large sheets and circular cuts. A study of cutting of CR-39 sheets using laser light is described in this paper. It has been found that this method is sufficiently fast to handle large number of sheets and also equally safe for big sheets. A maximum speed up to 200 cm/min with a 5 x 10 4 W/cm 2 laser is obtained during the present study. This study also shows that laser cutting does not affect the track properties of CR-39. (orig.)

Plasma cutting or laser cutting. Plasma setsudan ka laser setsudan ka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamura, A. (Tanaka Engineering Works Ltd., Saitama (Japan))

1991-05-01

Comparisons and discussions were made on the plasma cutting and laser cutting in sheet steel cutting, referring partly to gas cutting. Historically, the cutting has been developed from gas, plasma, and laser in that order, and currently these three methods are used mixedly. Generally, the plasma cutting is superior in cutting speed, but inferior in cut face quality, and it requires measures of dust collection. Due to high accuracy and quality in cut face, the laser cutting has been practically used for quite some time in the thin sheet industry, but medium to thick sheet cutting had a problem of unavailability of high output laser suitable for these ranges. However, the recent technologies have overcome the problem as a result of development at the authors {prime} company of a 2 kW class laser cutter capable of cutting 19 mm thick sheet. The cutter has been proven being particularly excellent in controllability. Choice of whether plasma or laser would depend upon which priority is to be taken, cost or accuracy. 15 figs., 3 tabs.

Underwater cutting of reactor core internals by CO laser using local-dry-zone creating nozzle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsumoto, Osa (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Takasago, Hyogo (Japan). Takasago Research and Development Center); Sugihara, Masaaki; Miya, Kenzo

1992-11-01

With a view to practical application of the CO laser to underwater cutting of thick steel plates, a nozzle for creating a local dry zone on the workpiece has been developed and tested. The nozzle directed against the workpiece surface discharges a jet of air, which forms the local dry zone, bounded by a cone of high-speed water jet discharged from a concentric annular outlet. Preliminary tests were performed to optimize the nozzle shape and operating conditions. The resulting nozzle was used with a 5 kW CO laser for actual underwater cutting tests on stainless steel plates: Entirely satisfactory cutting performance was confirmed on various workpiece geometries and working positions. (author).

Laser Cutting of Materials of Various Thicknesses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Grepl

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Thise paper deals with the application of laser technology and optimizing the parameters for cutting nickel alloy. The theoretical part of the paper describes various types of lasers, their principles and usage. The experimental part focuses on optimizing the section parameteres of Haynes 718 alloy using a CO2 gas laser. This alloy is employed in the production of components for the aircraft industry. The experiment was performed on the Wibro Delta laser system designed for sizable parts. The actual section is measured with respect to its quality and any accompanying side effects that occur during the process. In this case, laser output and cutting speed were the parameters with most influence on the final cut. The summary explains the results achieved in a metallographic laboratory.

Laser cutting system in bridge fabricating line; Kyoryo seisaku line ni okeru laser no setsudan system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kitaguchi, Y.; Yokotani, K. [Hitachi Zosen Corp., Osaka (Japan)

1994-11-01

This paper describes the laser cutting system established at a new advanced plant that was constructed by Hitachi Shipbuilding and Engineering Co., Ltd. in 1993. At the plant, the cutting line consists of four NC cutting lines: the plasma cutting machine, gas cutting machine, frame planer, and laser cutting machine. The laser cutting machine is used to cut complex shapes of relatively thin (6 - 16 mm) materials with high accuracy. The machine consists of a 3 kW CO2 laser oscillator mounted gantry type NC cutter and a slat conveyor of about 30 m long, with the maximum cutting width of 3.6 m. The NC cutting machine is provided with the automatic printing function using NC data, marking function, scheduled operation function, steel plate detector, and coordinate rotation function, etc. These functions enable unattended operation of the machine to cut multiple materials. This NC laser cutting line has the same performance data collection function for data during the operating time as other production lines. Therefore, the NC laser cutting line can be subjected to the realtime centralized control together with the other lines. All these technologies have provided high accuracy and efficiency for production as well as an environment in which many female operators can successfully work. 10 figs., 4 tabs.

Comparison of Efficacy of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Laser with Cutting Diathermy in Surgical Excision of Early Carcinoma Tongue.

Science.gov (United States)

Rashid, Muhammad; Hashmi, Muhammad Ali; Maqbool, Shahzad; Dastigir, Majid

2015-10-01

To compare the efficacy of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) laser with cutting diathermy as a cutting device in surgical excision of early carcinoma tongue. Experimental study. Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi and CMH, Lahore, from July 2008 to July 2011. Twenty two biopsy proven cases of T(1) and early T(2) squamous cell carcinoma of tongue were divided in two equal groups of 11 each labeled as A and B. Tumor was excised by CO(2) laser in group A while cutting diathermy was done in group B. For both groups tumor excision time, per-operative blood loss, postoperative oral swelling and pain was recorded. Excision time of tumor was assessed in minutes and amount of blood loss in milliliters till complete hemostasis after removal of primary tumor. Postoperatively patients were assessed on 12 hourly basis for 48 hours for pain. Pain was analyzed on visual analogue score 1 - 10. Oral swelling was assessed once after 24 hours and labeled as mild, moderate and severe. Independent sample t-test was applied for analysis of excision time, postoperative pain and per-operative blood loss for both groups. Postoperative swelling was analyzed using Fisher's exact test. P-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. The mean age at diagnosis in group A was 49.36 ± 5.27 years, while in group B patients had mean age of 50.73 ± 8.13 years. In group A, 4/11 (36.3%) patients were having tumor stage T(1) while 7/11 (63.6%) had T(2) stage tumor. In group B, 5/11 (45.4%) were having T1 and 6/11 (54.5%) were having stage T(2) tumor. Excision time was significantly shorter for group B (p=0.003), but group A had less postoperative pain (p=0.001), less per-operative blood loss (p=0.001) and less postoperative oral swelling (p=0.021). Early carcinoma tongue is better removed by laser than electrocautery in terms of postoperative morbidity, per-operative blood loss, postoperative pain and oral swelling.

Transport of biologically active material in laser cutting.

Science.gov (United States)

Frenz, M; Mathezloic, F; Stoffel, M H; Zweig, A D; Romano, V; Weber, H P

1988-01-01

The transport of biologically active material during laser cutting with CO2 and Er lasers is demonstrated. This transport mechanism removes particles from the surface of gelatin, agar, and liver samples into the depth of the laser-formed craters. The transport phenomenon is explained by a contraction and condensation of enclosed hot water vapor. We show by cultivating transported bacteria in agar that biological particles can survive the shock of the transport. Determination of the numbers of active cells evidences a more pronounced activity of the cultivated bacteria after impact with an Er laser than with a CO2 laser.

High power YAG laser cutting; Koshutsuryoku YAG laser ni yoru setsudan gijutsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Owaki, K. [Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1998-08-01

This paper describes features of high power YAG cutting. The optical fiber transmission YAG laser machining system has some advantages in which optical path length compensation unit is not required and measures for low power loss and dust are not required, when compared with the CO2 laser system. Its application to the cutting of stainless steel plates has attracted attention. Cutting tests of SUS304 were conducted using high power YAG laser. Cutting of SUS304 plate with a thickness of 40 mm could be successfully done at the power of 3.5 kW. Cutting tests of SUS304 pipes with a thickness of 8 mm in water under the depth of 20 m were also conducted using air as assist gas at the power of 2.5 kW. Excellent results were obtained without scale deposition. For the tests by the composite beam using 3 kW and 4 kW systems, SUS304 plate with a thickness of 50 mm could be cut at the cutting speed of 0.1 m/min. Laser cutting of pipes from the internal surface was conducted using a newly developed small machining head which can rotate in the peripheral direction. Excellent quality for welding was confirmed. Cutting speed and plate thickness were improved by combining water jet cutter and YAG laser unit. 6 refs., 10 figs.

Development in high speed and high quality laser cutting process in fiber reinforced plastics; FRP no laser ni yoru kosoku, kohinshitsu setsudan gijutsu no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishide, T.; Shirota, H.; Matsumoto, O. [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1996-06-01

Trimming was performed and studied by cutting KFRP, an epoxy matrix with Kevlar fiber woven thereinto, using various laser beams. The CO2 laser is capable of high-speed cutting but the product is low in quality. The surface of a cut by the YAG laser is not high in quality even with its peak output elevated. The thermally affected area is smaller under the excimer laser but it is low in cutting speed. The ablation properties of the excimer laser were investigated and the beam was shaped into a linear beam for another experiment, but it failed to attain the target speed of cutting. Next, a combination of excimer laser and CO2 laser was used for cutting. It was so designed that the preceding CO2 laser cuts the KFRP at a high speed to leave behind a carbonized layer, which is followed by a linear beam which vaporizes the carbonized layer for removal. An optical system is adopted for reshaping the excimer oscillated beam into a tube-like beam. Optical conditions were determined for a fluence value required for the removal of the carbonized layer. When the CO2 laser was set at 160W and the excimer laser at 20W, a 1mm-thick sheet was successfully cut at a speed of 16.7mm/sec. 3 refs., 7 figs.

Acoustic damage detection in laser-cut CFRP composite materials

Science.gov (United States)

Nishino, Michiteru; Harada, Yoshihisa; Suzuki, Takayuki; Niino, Hiroyuki

2012-03-01

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) composite material, which is expected to reduce the weight of automotive, airplane and etc., was cut by laser irradiation with a pulsed-CO2 laser (TRUMPF TFL5000; P=800W, 20kHz, τ=8μs, λ=10.6μm, V=1m/min) and single-mode fiber lasers (IPG YLR-300-SM; P=300W, λ=1.07μm, V=1m/min)(IPG YLR- 2000-SM; P=2kW, λ=1.07μm, V=7m/min). To detect thermal damage at the laser cutting of CFRP materials consisting of thermoset resin matrix and PAN or PITCH-based carbon fiber, the cut quality was observed by X-ray CT. The effect of laser cutting process on the mechanical strength for CFRP tested at the tensile test. Acoustic emission (AE) monitoring, high-speed camera and scanning electron microscopy were used for the failure process analysis. AE signals and fractographic features characteristic of each laser-cut CFRP were identified.

High-Power Laser Cutting of Steel Plates: Heat Affected Zone Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Imed Miraoui

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The thermal effect of CO2 high-power laser cutting on cut surface of steel plates is investigated. The effect of the input laser cutting parameters on the melted zone depth (MZ, the heat affected zone depth (HAZ, and the microhardness beneath the cut surface is analyzed. A mathematical model is developed to relate the output process parameters to the input laser cutting parameters. Three input process parameters such as laser beam diameter, cutting speed, and laser power are investigated. Mathematical models for the melted zone and the heat affected zone depth are developed by using design of experiment approach (DOE. The results indicate that the input laser cutting parameters have major effect on melted zone, heat affected zone, and microhardness beneath cut surface. The MZ depth, the HAZ depth, and the microhardness beneath cut surface increase as laser power increases, but they decrease with increasing cutting speed. Laser beam diameter has a negligible effect on HAZ depth but it has a remarkable effect on MZ depth and HAZ microhardness. The melted zone depth and the heat affected zone depth can be reduced by increasing laser cutting speed and decreasing laser power and laser beam diameter.

Parametric studies of cutting zircaloy-2 sheets with a laser beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, S.; Badgujar, B.P.; Goswami, G.L.

1996-01-01

The highly reactive and pyrophoric nature of zirconium alloys limits the use of conventional thermal sources (e.g., plasma arc cutting, oxygen flame cutting, etc.) for the cutting and drilling of these alloys. In this context, a highly coherent laser beam provides a good alternative for the cutting and drilling. In the present paper, laser beam cutting of zircaloy-2 sheets of 1.1 mm and 0.74 mm thickness is performed using a 300 W average power pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Pulse energy, pulse repetition rate, nozzle gap, gas pressure and cutting speed were varied to give different laser cutting conditions. Metallographic study of the cut surfaces showed the presence of transformed beta phase in the heat affected zone (HAZ) near the cut surface. The microhardness value across the cut surface was also measured. It showed a gradual increase in microhardness from the base metal (160 VHN) towards the HAZ having a maximum value of 365 VHN. The results of parametric studies of the cutting indicated that, with proper selection of process parameters, very narrow cuts can be easily made in zircaloy-2 using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser with a saving in material and at a much faster rate than alternative processes such as plasma arc cutting and oxygen flame cutting

Development of an optical displacement transducer for CO2 laser auto-focusing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, D.P.D.

1986-01-01

The PCMWP has partially funded the development of an optical displacement transducer by UKAEA Culham Laboratory (Laser Applications Group). This report covers all work which was done up to the end of the 1984/5 financial year. The purpose of the transducer is to sense automatically the standoff gap between the workpiece and a laser cutting head and subsequently to control an auto-focusing head for the CO 2 laser cutting process. Development of the transducer has reached a stage where it can be mounted on an industrial robot and incorporated into a closed loop servo control system so that standoff gap can be closely controlled whilst traversing variable geometry workpieces. The transducer has been shown to be insensitive to angular displacement of the workpiece (within limits) and to workpiece type or surface finish with the exception of transparent materials. Separate trials have shown it to be unaffected by CO 2 laser light and it has been used, with a motorised laser head, to control standoff whilst the laser cuts a range of contoured materials. The scientific principle of the transducer has thus been proved and a laboratory system has been successfully tested. Its performance has matched the specification with the exception of its ability to sense transparent materials. (author)

Combustion-assisted laser cutting of a difficult-to-machine superalloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molian, P.A.

1992-01-01

In laser cutting, the largest single application of lasers in manufacturing, the assist gas plays an important role in affecting the cutting performance. The assist gas is usually oxygen or an inert gas. In this paper acetylene and oxygen was employed to create combustion reactions during CO 2 laser cutting that enabled an improvement in the cutting speed, and cut quality of a difficult-to-machine superalloy. A comparison with laser cutting of a plain carbon steel under identical conditions was also made to determine the usefulness of combustion energy. Results indicate that both cutting speed and quality are enhanced by the reduction in the viscosity of slag formed during cutting (which assisted in ejection of the slag through the bottom of the kerf) due to the heat released by the acetylene burning inside the kerf. Correlations of experimental data with a theoretical model provided the influence of combustion power and gas-flow power on the cutting phenomena

Effect of Moisture Content of Paper Material on Laser Cutting

Science.gov (United States)

Stepanov, Alexander; Saukkonen, Esa; Piili, Heidi; Salminen, Antti

Laser technology has been used in industrial processes for several decades. The most advanced development and implementation took place in laser welding and cutting of metals in automotive and ship building industries. However, there is high potential to apply laser processing to other materials in various industrial fields. One of these potential fields could be paper industry to fulfill the demand for high quality, fast and reliable cutting technology. Difficulties in industrial application of laser cutting for paper industry are associated to lack of basic information, awareness of technology and its application possibilities. Nowadays possibilities of using laser cutting for paper materials are widened and high automation level of equipment has made this technology more interesting for manufacturing processes. Promising area of laser cutting application at paper making machines is longitudinal cutting of paper web (edge trimming). There are few locations at a paper making machine where edge trimming is usually done: wet press section, calender or rewinder. Paper web is characterized with different moisture content at different points of the paper making machine. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of moisture content of paper material on laser cutting parameters. Effect of moisture content on cellulose fibers, laser absorption and energy needed for cutting is described as well. Laser cutting tests were carried out using CO2 laser.

CO2-laser fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stark, E.E. Jr.

1978-01-01

The basic concept of laser fusion is described, with a set of requirements on the laser system. Systems and applications concepts are presented and discussed. The CO 2 laser's characteristics and advantages for laser fusion are described. Finally, technological issues in the development of CO 2 laser systems for fusion applications are discussed

High-power fiber laser cutting parameter optimization for nuclear Decommissioning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Beatriz Lopez

2017-06-01

Full Text Available For more than 10 years, the laser process has been studied for dismantling work; however, relatively few research works have addressed the effect of high-power fiber laser cutting for thick sections. Since in the nuclear sector, a significant quantity of thick material is required to be cut, this study aims to improve the reliability of laser cutting for such work and indicates guidelines to optimize the cutting procedure, in particular, nozzle combinations (standoff distance and focus position, to minimize waste material. The results obtained show the performance levels that can be reached with 10 kW fiber lasers, using which it is possible to obtain narrower kerfs than those found in published results obtained with other lasers. Nonetheless, fiber lasers appear to show the same effects as those of CO2 and ND:YAG lasers. Thus, the main factor that affects the kerf width is the focal position, which means that minimum laser spot diameters are advised for smaller kerf widths.

High-power fiber laser cutting parameter optimization for nuclear decommissioning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopez, Ana Beatriz; Assuncao, Eurico; Quintino, Luisa [IDMEC, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa (Portugal); Khan, Ali; Blackbun, Jonathan [TWI Ltd., Cambridge (United States)

2017-06-15

For more than 10 years, the laser process has been studied for dismantling work; however, relatively few research works have addressed the effect of high-power fiber laser cutting for thick sections. Since in the nuclear sector, a significant quantity of thick material is required to be cut, this study aims to improve the reliability of laser cutting for such work and indicates guidelines to optimize the cutting procedure, in particular, nozzle combinations (standoff distance and focus position), to minimize waste material. The results obtained show the performance levels that can be reached with 10 kW fiber lasers, using which it is possible to obtain narrower kerfs than those found in published results obtained with other lasers. Nonetheless, fiber lasers appear to show the same effects as those of CO{sub 2} and ND:YAG lasers. Thus, the main factor that affects the kerf width is the focal position, which means that minimum laser spot diameters are advised for smaller kerf widths.

Analysis of correlations of multiple-performance characteristics for optimization of CO2 laser nitrogen cutting of AISI 304 stainless steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miloš Madić

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The identification of laser cutting conditions for satisfying different requirements such as improving cut quality characteristics and material removal rate is of great importance. In this paper, an attempt has been made to develop mathematical models in order to relate laser cutting parameters such as the laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure and focus position, and cut quality characteristics such as the surface roughness, kerf width and width of heat affected zone (HAZ. A laser cutting experiment was planned as per Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array with three levels for each of laser cutting parameters considered. 3 mm thick AISI 304 stainless steel was used as workpiece material. Mathematical models were developed using a single hidden layer artificial neural network (ANN trained with the Levenberg– Marquardt algorithm. On the basis of the developed ANN models the effects of the laser cutting parameters on the cut quality characteristics were presented. It was observed that laser cutting parameters variously affect cut quality characteristics. Also, for the range of operating conditions considered in the experiment, laser cut quality operating diagrams were shown. From these operating diagrams one can see the values of cut quality characteristics that can be achieved and subsequently select laser cutting parameter values. Furthermore, the analysis includes correlations between cut quality characteristics and material removal rate. To this aim, six trade-off operating diagrams for improving multiple responses at the same time were given.

Laser cutting of concretes with various ballasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamasaki, Masanobu; Katsumura, Munehide; Utsumi, Hiroaki

1985-01-01

The biological shield concrete and the radiation shield concrete which construct a part of the atomic reactor must be demolished with the decommissioning of the atomic reactor plants. In a case, the demolition using a laser is expected as one of excellent method for the decommissioning of these radioactive concretes. The fundamental cuttings of a mortar, the concretes with andesite, lime stone and gray wacke as ballast and a concrete reinforced with mild steel rods were therefore carried out using a 5 kW output CO 2 laser. As the results of experiment, it was cleared that cutting results varied with ballasts, 100 mm thick reinforced concrete could be cut, safety was high because few dross and few fume were produced. (author)

Performance of 3KW laser in cutting industry. Yodan gyokai ni okeru 3KW reza no koyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kita, H.; Miyaji, T.

1993-11-01

Recently, as the CO2 laser oscillator requires bigger power output, steel plates to be cut with a laser cutting machine have become thick plates with thickness of 12mm or more and the size of the plate which can be cut has become from the standard size of 4 inch by 8 inch or 5 inch by 10 inch to a big size of more than several meters because of introduction of the gantry type. In this article, the CO2 laser cutting machine introduced to Komatsu Shearing Co. and its operating conditions are introduced and the trends of powerful laser cutting machines in the cutting industry in the future are predicted. Laser cutting makes high cutting quality, but its device and running costs becomes high. For adopting a laser cutting machine, such items have been individually examined that no bitter work is involved in cutting, no skill is needed, no strain is formed during the press work in the succeeding process and the yield is high (95%), and a Komatsu laser cutting machine has been introduced. As a result, it has been found that the machine can produce a product of higher quality than shearing. Hereafter, this machine will further be used for manufacturing parts of construction machines, etc. for which high accuracy and high quality are demanded. 7 figs., 8 tabs.

Reviews on laser cutting technology for industrial applications

Science.gov (United States)

Muangpool, T.; Pullteap, S.

2018-03-01

In this paper, an overview of the laser technology applied for the industrial has been reviewed. In general, this technology was used in several engineering applications such as industrial, medical, science, research sectors, etc. Focusing on the laser technology in the industrial section, it was, normally, employed for many purposes i.e. target marking, welding, drilling, and also cutting. Consequently, the laser cutting technology was, however, divided into three classifications YAG, CO2, and fiber laser, respectively. Each laser types have different advantages and disadvantages depending on the material type. The advantages by using laser cutting compared with the general cutting machines were exploited in terms of narrow kerf, high cutting speed, low heat-affected zone (HAZ), improve efficiency of the cutting process, high accuracy, etc. However, the main objectives from the technology used were increasing of the products and also decreasing the production cost. In the opposite way, some disadvantages of the technology were summarized by complexity to operate, high maintenance cost, and also high power consumption. In Thailand industry, there were many factories used this technology as a cutting process. Unfortunately, only few researches were published. It might explains that this technology were difficulty to develop, high investment, and also easy to import from aboard. For becoming to the Thailand 4.0 community, the Thailand industry might awareness to reduce the importing machine and boosting some policies to create novel innovative / know-how from the own country.

Flexible Laser Metal Cutting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Villumsen, Sigurd; Jørgensen, Steffen Nordahl; Kristiansen, Morten

2014-01-01

This paper describes a new flexible and fast approach to laser cutting called ROBOCUT. Combined with CAD/CAM technology, laser cutting of metal provides the flexibility to perform one-of-a-kind cutting and hereby realises mass production of customised products. Today’s laser cutting techniques...... possess, despite their wide use in industry, limitations regarding speed and geometry. Research trends point towards remote laser cutting techniques which can improve speed and geometrical freedom and hereby the competitiveness of laser cutting compared to fixed-tool-based cutting technology...... such as punching. This paper presents the concepts and preliminary test results of the ROBOCUT laser cutting technology, a technology which potentially can revolutionise laser cutting....

Comparison of efficacy of carbon dioxide (CO/sub 2/) laser with cutting diathermy in surgical excision of early carcinoma tongue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashid, M.; Hashmi, M.A.; Dastigir, M.

2015-01-01

To compare the efficacy of carbon dioxide (CO/sub 2/) laser with cutting diathermy as a cutting device in surgical excision of early carcinoma tongue. Study Design: Experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi and CMH, Lahore, from July 2008 to July 2011. Methodology: Twenty two biopsy proven cases of T1 and early T2 squamous cell carcinoma of tongue were divided in two equal groups of 11 each labeled as A and B. Tumor was excised by CO/sub 2/ laser in group A while cutting diathermy was done in group B. For both groups tumor excision time, per-operative blood loss, postoperative oral swelling and pain was recorded. Excision time of tumor was assessed in minutes and amount of blood loss in milliliters till complete hemostasis after removal of primary tumor. Postoperatively patients were assessed on 12 hourly basis for 48 hours for pain. Pain was analyzed on visual analogue score 1 - 10. Oral swelling was assessed once after 24 hours and labeled as mild, moderate and severe. Independent sample t-test was applied for analysis of excision time, postoperative pain and per-operative blood loss for both groups. Postoperative swelling was analyzed using Fisher exact test. P-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age at diagnosis in group A was 49.36 ± 5.27 years, while in group B patients had mean age of 50.73 ± 8.13 years. In group A, 4/11 (36.3%) patients were having tumor stage T1 while 7/11 (63.6%) had T2 stage tumor. In group B, 5/11 (45.4%) were having T1 and 6/11 (54.5%) were having stage T2 tumor. Excision time was significantly shorter for group B (p=0.003), but group A had less postoperative pain (p=0.001), less per-operative blood loss (p=0.001) and less postoperative oral swelling (p=0.021). Conclusion: Early carcinoma tongue is better removed by laser than electrocautery in terms of postoperative morbidity, per-operative blood loss, postoperative pain and oral swelling. (author)

MULTI-OBJECTIVE OPTIMISATION OF LASER CUTTING USING CUCKOO SEARCH ALGORITHM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. MADIĆ

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Determining of optimal laser cutting conditions for improving cut quality characteristics is of great importance in process planning. This paper presents multi-objective optimisation of the CO2 laser cutting process considering three cut quality characteristics such as surface roughness, heat affected zone (HAZ and kerf width. It combines an experimental design by using Taguchi’s method, modelling the relationships between the laser cutting factors (laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure and focus position and cut quality characteristics by artificial neural networks (ANNs, formulation of the multiobjective optimisation problem using weighting sum method, and solving it by the novel meta-heuristic cuckoo search algorithm (CSA. The objective is to obtain optimal cutting conditions dependent on the importance order of the cut quality characteristics for each of four different case studies presented in this paper. The case studies considered in this study are: minimisation of cut quality characteristics with equal priority, minimisation of cut quality characteristics with priority given to surface roughness, minimisation of cut quality characteristics with priority given to HAZ, and minimisation of cut quality characteristics with priority given to kerf width. The results indicate that the applied CSA for solving the multi-objective optimisation problem is effective, and that the proposed approach can be used for selecting the optimal laser cutting factors for specific production requirements.

SOFTWARE TOOL FOR LASER CUTTING PROCESS CONTROL – SOLVING REAL INDUSTRIAL CASE STUDIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miloš Madić

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Laser cutting is one of the leading non-conventional machining technologies with a wide spectrum of application in modern industry. It order to exploit a number of advantages that this technology offers for contour cutting of materials, it is necessary to carefully select laser cutting conditions for each given workpiece material, thickness and desired cut qualities. In other words, there is a need for process control of laser cutting. After a comprehensive analysis of the main laser cutting parameters and process performance characteristics, the application of the developed software tool “BRUTOMIZER” for off-line control of CO2 laser cutting process of three different workpiece materials (mild steel, stainless steel and aluminum is illustrated. Advantages and abilities of the developed software tool are also illustrated.

Fusion cutting of aluminum, magnesium, and titanium alloys using high-power fiber laser

Science.gov (United States)

Scintilla, Leonardo Daniele; Tricarico, Luigi

2013-07-01

The effects of cutting speed and assist gas pressure on laser cutting of 1-mm thick Al 1050, AZ31, and Ti6Al4V lightweight alloys are experimentally investigated. Fiber laser cutting of these materials is not broadly investigated and the acquisition of a new level of knowledge is of fundamental importance for applications like sheet metal trimming in automotive industry. The main process outputs are in depth compared with results reported in literature and obtained by cutting with CO2 and Nd∶YAG lasers. The good cut quality, the high productivity, and the easy delivery of the beam obtained at the same time, corroborate the advantage of using fiber lasers for thin sheets lightweight alloys cutting.

Experimental investigation of the effect of the laser beam polarization state on the quality of steel sheet cutting

Science.gov (United States)

Golyshev, A. A.; Orishich, A. M.; Shulyatyev, V. B.

2017-10-01

The paper presents the results of experimental investigation of the effect of the beam polarization on the quality of the oxygen-assisted laser cutting of steel by a CO2-laser. Under consideration is the effect of the laser cutting parameters by the beam with the linear polarization on the cut surface roughness. It is founded that the minimal roughness is reached when the electric field vector is perpendicular to the cutting speed vector. It is concluded that the absorbed power distribution imposes the essential influence on the surface quality, and that the radiation heating of side walls is important to have lower roughness. Obtained results enabled to present probable reasons of the worse surface quality of the metals cut by a fiber laser than the ones cut by a CO2-laser.

CO2 laser-aided waste incineration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costes, J.R.; Guiberteau, P.; Caminat, P.; Bournot, P.

1994-01-01

Lasers are widely employed in laboratories and in certain industrial applications, notably for welding, cutting and surface treatments. This paper describes a new application, incineration, which appears warranted when the following features are required: high-temperature incineration (> 1500 deg C) with close-tolerance temperature control in an oxidizing medium while ensuring containment of toxic waste. These criteria correspond to the application presented here. Following a brief theoretical introduction concerning the laser/surface interaction, the paper describes the incineration of graphite waste contaminated with alpha-emitting radionuclides. Process feasibility has been demonstrated on a nonradioactive prototype capable of incinerating 10 kg -h-1 using a 7 kW CO 2 laser. An industrial facility with the same capacity, designed to operate within the constraints of an alpha-tight glove box environment, is now at the project stage. Other types of applications with similar requirements may be considered. (authors). 3 refs., 7 figs

CO 2 laser cutting of MDF . 2. Estimation of power distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, S. L.; Lum, K. C. P.; Black, I.

2000-02-01

Part 2 of this paper details an experimentally-based method to evaluate the power distribution for both CW and PM cutting. Variations in power distribution with different cutting speeds, material thickness and pulse ratios are presented. The paper also provides information on both the cutting efficiency and absorptivity index for MDF, and comments on the beam dispersion characteristics after the cutting process.

Dross formation during laser cutting process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yilbas, B S; Aleem, B J Abdul [Mechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petoleum and Minerals, Dhahran 32161 (Saudi Arabia)

2006-04-07

Melt formation during laser cutting of metallic substrates is considered and the melt thickness is formulated using a lump parameter analysis. The droplet diameter is also predicted and compared with the experimental results. A CO{sub 2} laser with variable pulse frequency is used in the experiment. Oxygen, as assisting gas, impinging coaxially with the laser beam, is used at different pressures. SEM and XRD are carried out to obtain micrographs and oxide compounds formed in the dross. It is found that the liquid layer thickness increases with increasing laser output power and reduces with increasing assisting gas velocity. The droplet formed is spherical and the droplet size predicted agrees well with the experimental results.

CO2 laser cutting of ultra thin (75 μm) glass based rigid optical solar reflector (OSR) for spacecraft application

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Shubham; Sridhara, N.; Mitra, Avijit; Yougandar, B.; Dash, Sarat Kumar; Agarwal, Sanjay; Dey, Arjun

2017-03-01

Present study reports for the first time laser cutting of multilayered coatings on both side of ultra thin (i.e., 75 μm) glass substrate based rigid optical solar reflector (OSR) for spacecraft thermal control application. The optimization of cutting parameters was carried out as a function of laser power, cutting speed and number of cutting passes and their effect on cutting edge quality. Systematic and in-detail microstructural characterizations were carried out by optical and scanning electron microscopy techniques to study the laser affected zone and cutting edge quality. Sheet resistance and water contact angle experiments were also conducted locally both prior and after laser cut to investigate the changes of electrical and surface properties, if any.

Using laser to measure stem thickness and cut weed stems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heisel, T.; Schou, Jørgen; Andreasen, C.

2002-01-01

Stem thickness of the weed Solanum nigrum and the crop sugarbeet was determined with a He-Ne laser using a novel non-destructive technique measuring stem shadow. Thereafter, the stems were cut close to the soil surface with a CO2 laser. Treatments were carried out on pot plants, grown....... A binary model was also tested. The non-linear model incorporating stem thickness described the data best, indicating that it would be possible to optimize laser cutting by measuring stem thickness before cutting. The general tendency was that more energy was needed the thicker the stem. Energy uses...... in the greenhouse, at two different growth stages, and plant dry matter was measured 2-5 weeks after treatment. The relationship between plant dry weight and laser energy was analysed using two different non-linear dose-response regression models; one model included stem thickness as a variable, the other did not...

Direct diode lasers with comparable beam quality to fiber, CO2, and solid state lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Robin K.; Chann, Bien; Burgess, James; Kaiman, Michael; Overman, Robert; Glenn, John D.; Tayebati, Parviz

2012-03-01

TeraDiode has produced kW-class ultra-high brightness fiber-coupled direct diode lasers. A fiber-coupled direct diode laser with a power level of 2,040 W from a 50 μm core diameter, 0.15 numerical aperture (NA) output fiber at a single center wavelength was demonstrated. This was achieved with a novel beam combining and shaping technique using COTS diode lasers. The fiber-coupled output corresponds to a Beam Parameter Product (BPP) of 3.75 mm-mrad and is the lowest BPP kW-class direct diode laser yet reported. This laser is suitable for industrial materials processing applications, including sheet metal cutting and welding. This 2-kW fiber-coupled direct diode laser has comparable brightness to that of industrial fiber lasers and CO2 lasers, and is over 10x brighter than state-of-the-art direct diode lasers.

Trend of laser cutting technology; Laser setsudan gijutsu no saikin no doko

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murai, T. [Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-05

Recent trend of CO2 laser cutting is described. The cutting speed has increased five times in these seven years, and cutting is now performed at 8m/min for a hole that satisfies a circularity of 50{mu}m. In the low-speed domain, again, cutting accuracy is as high as 20{mu}m. In the cutting of thick plates, laser encounters some difficulties, which include the increased thermal load on optical parts and devices in the oscillator, lessened cutting condition tolerance, variation in the accuracy of products, difficult cutting, etc. Discussed in this report are measures for correcting factors affecting product quality with reference taken to a thick soft steel plate. A laser beam emitted by an oscillator is condensed by and projected through a condenser lens, and the condensing capability is affected by various factors, such as the beam mode order, beam diameter, and focal length, etc. What is important is to find out the optimal conditions. The assist gas has to satisfy certain conditions because it assumes an important role in controlling the discharge of molten metal from cut grooves, heat generated by oxidation reaction, and cooling. The properties of the material to be cut also exert some influence. In the case of thick plate cutting, the cutting capability is governed by the geometry to be fabricated. Also employed for the prevention of poor jobs due to improper condition switchover and cutting routes is an optimal cutting condition control technique. 3 refs., 12 figs.

Adaptive feedforward control for improving output power response of CO2 laser; Tekiogata feedforward ni yoru laser shutsuryoku oto no kaizen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Imai, Y.; Takahashi, t.; Morita, A. [Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1998-03-31

Feedback control has been used to stabilize the steady-state output power of a CO2 laser to overcome the problems caused by the change in the temperature/deterioration of CO2 gas. The transient response, however, is as slow as a few hundred milliseconds because of the slow dynamics of a thermopile power sensor. When machining conditions of a CO2 laser are changed, this rather slow response requires an extra dwell time, resulting in low productivity of the machining. To cope with this problem, the authors have developed adaptive feedforward control for a CO2 laser in addition to conventional feedback control. The model of a CO2 laser is described as a gain, which is varied by the setting parameters; laser power, pulse frequency and duty factor, as well as gas conditions. In this paper, two new variables, effective discharge power and threshold discharge power, are introduced to obtain a compact and adjustable model. With the proposed control system, the step response time of a laser power is reduced to less than ten milliseconds without overshoot, and can be set to desired constant time. The effects of such a fast and stable response on the machining speed and machining quality are examined. The experimental results show that for thin metal line-cutting, neither the melt-off area nor dross is observed even in the no-dwell time case. For thin metal hole-cutting, the machining speed is improved by 30%. 11 refs., 14 figs., 3 tabs.

Study into penetration speed during laser cutting of brain tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Yilbas, Z; Sami, M; Patiroglu, T

1998-01-01

The applications of CO2 continuous-wave lasers in neurosurgery have become important in recent years. Theoretical considerations of laser applicability in medicine are subsequently confirmed experimentally. To obtain precision operation in the laser cutting process, further theoretical developments and experimental studies need to be conducted. Consequently, in the present study, the heat transfer mechanism taking place during laser-tissue interaction is introduced using Fourier theory. The results obtained from the theoretical model are compared with the experimental results. In connection with this, an experiment is designed to measure the penetration speed during the laser cutting process. The measurement is carried out using an optical method. It is found that both results for the penetration speed obtained from the theory and experiment are in a good agreement.

Innovation Study for Laser Cutting of Complex Geometries with Paper Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Happonen, A.; Stepanov, A.; Piili, H.; Salminen, A.

Even though technology for laser cutting of paper materials has existed for over 30 years, it seems that results of applications of this technology and possibilities of laser cutting systems are not easily available. The aim of this study was to analyze the feasibility of the complex geometry laser cutting of paper materials and to analyze the innovation challenges and potential of current laser cutting technologies offer. This research studied the potential and possible challenges in applying CO2 laser cutting technology for cutting of paper materials in current supply chains trying to fulfil the changing needs of customer in respect of shape, fast response during rapid delivery cycle. The study is focused on examining and analyzing the different possibilities of laser cutting of paper material in application area of complex low volume geometry cutting. The goal of this case was to analyze the feasibility of the laser cutting from technical, quality and implementation points of view and to discuss availability of new business opportunities. It was noticed that there are new business models still available within laser technology applications in complex geometry cutting. Application of laser technology, in business-to-consume markets, in synergy with Internet service platforms can widen the customer base and offer new value streams for technology and service companies. Because of this, existing markets and competition has to be identified, and appropriate new and innovative business model needs to be developed. And to be competitive in the markets, models like these need to include the earning logic and the stages from production to delivery as discussed in the paper.

Qualitative analysis of laser cutting of CV joints for the automobile industry

Science.gov (United States)

Aboites, V.; Ramírez, R.; Rayas, J.

2006-02-01

The optimization of an automatic laser cutting system is reported. This CO II laser system assisted by an O II gas jet is used in the cutting of Constant Velocity (CV) joint for the automotive industry. The experimental parameters varied in order to obtain cuts with low roughness were the laser power, cutting speed and oxygen pressure. A mathematical model is presented which explains many of the features of the qualitative optimization realized.

Utility and safety of the flexible-fiber CO2 laser in endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Jayarao, Mayur; Devaiah, Anand K; Chin, Lawrence S

2011-01-01

This study sought to report on the utility and safety of the flexible-fiber CO2 laser in endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery. A retrospective chart review identified 16 patients who underwent laser-assisted transsphenoidal surgery. All tumor pathology types were considered. Results were assessed based on hormone status, tumor size, pathology, complications, and resection rates. Sixteen pituitary lesions (pituitary adenomas, 12; Rathke cleft cyst, 2; pituitary cyst and craniopharyngioma, 1 each) with an average size of 22.7 mm were identified by radiographic and pathologic criteria. All patients underwent flexible-fiber CO2 laser-assisted endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery. Of the adenomas, 8 were nonsecreting and 4 were secreting (3 prolactinomas and 1 ACTH secreting). Gross total resection was achieved in 7 of 16 patients (43.75%) with hormone remission in all patients (100%) after a mean follow-up of 19.3 months. Postoperative complications occurred in 3 patients (18.75%): 2 patients developed transient diabetes insipidus (DI) and 1 developed a CSF leak requiring surgical repair. Five patients (31.25%) underwent postoperative radiation to the residual lesions. We found that CO2-laser-assisted endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery for sellar tumors is a minimally invasive approach using a tool that is quick and effective at cutting and coagulation. The surgery has a low rate of complication, and no laser-related complications were encountered. The laser fiber allows the surgeon to safely cut and coagulate without the line-of-sight problems encountered with conventional CO2 lasers. Further studies are recommended to further define its role in endoscopic endonasal sellar surgery. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improved cutting performance in high power laser cutting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemming Ove

2003-01-01

Recent results in high power laser cutting especially with focus on cutting of mild grade steel types for shipbuilding are described.......Recent results in high power laser cutting especially with focus on cutting of mild grade steel types for shipbuilding are described....

Influence of laser-target interaction on the polarization of a CO2-laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, K.; Herziger, G.; Loosen, P.; Seelig, W.

1988-01-01

Laser materials processing shows a special peculiarity compared to other customary techniques: the generally reflecting target introduces optical feedback into the system. This feedback changes the mode properties of the laser radiation according to the targets dynamics. The authors report on one of these aspects of laser-target interaction resulting in the change of the polarization of the incident light. Based of rate equations, a theoretical model is presented in this paper that allows the calculation of this change with respect of the target properties, yielding a simple relation for the two orthogonal planes of polarization of a laser mode. This relation turns out to be linearly dependent of a function ψ (t) which describes the optical feedback. The relation holds for target reflexions of up to 10% and four times larger than τ 2 x τ 2 /τ 1 - τ 2 (where τ 1 , τ 2 are the time constants of the passive resonator for the two orthogonal planes of polarization). The model offers a method for the modulation for the modulation of laser radiation without change of frequency or intensity. It might also be of interest for high-power CO 2 laser cutting and welding of metals

CO{sub 2} laser-aided waste incineration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Costes, J R; Guiberteau, P [CEA Centre d` Etudes de la Vallee du Rhone, 30 - Marcoule (France). Dept. d` Exploitation du Retraitement et de Demantelement; Caminat, P; Bournot, P

1994-12-31

Lasers are widely employed in laboratories and in certain industrial applications, notably for welding, cutting and surface treatments. This paper describes a new application, incineration, which appears warranted when the following features are required: high-temperature incineration (> 1500 deg C) with close-tolerance temperature control in an oxidizing medium while ensuring containment of toxic waste. These criteria correspond to the application presented here. Following a brief theoretical introduction concerning the laser/surface interaction, the paper describes the incineration of graphite waste contaminated with alpha-emitting radionuclides. Process feasibility has been demonstrated on a nonradioactive prototype capable of incinerating 10 kg{sup -h-1} using a 7 kW CO{sub 2} laser. An industrial facility with the same capacity, designed to operate within the constraints of an alpha-tight glove box environment, is now at the project stage. Other types of applications with similar requirements may be considered. (authors). 3 refs., 7 figs.

Laser cutting system

Science.gov (United States)

Dougherty, Thomas J

2015-03-03

A workpiece cutting apparatus includes a laser source, a first suction system, and a first finger configured to guide a workpiece as it moves past the laser source. The first finger includes a first end provided adjacent a point where a laser from the laser source cuts the workpiece, and the first end of the first finger includes an aperture in fluid communication with the first suction system.

Latest development of laser cutting

OpenAIRE

Wetzig, Andreas; Herwig, Patrick; Hauptmann, Jan; Goppold, Cindy; Baumann, Robert; Fürst, Andreas; Rose, Michael; Pinder, Thomas; Mahrle, Achim; Beyer, Eckhard

2016-01-01

Laser cutting was one of the first applications of laser material processing. Today, laser cutting is the most widespread application among laser material processing besides laser marking. Meanwhile, nearly each material can be cut by means of a laser, in particular since ultra short pulse lasers are available in the power range of up to 100 W. The to be cut material can come with thicknesses from a few microns till tens of millimeters as flat stock or as free form shapes. The paper will conc...

Design and performance of a sealed CO2 laser for industrial applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botero, G; Gomez, D; Nisperuza, D; Bastidas, A

2011-01-01

A large amount of materials processing is done using an industrial CO 2 laser operating in the mid-infrared (IR) spectrum. Their high efficiency and tremendous power output have made them one of the most commonly known transition wavelength at 10,6 microns facilitates laser cutting, drilling and marking of a wide variety of materials in the electronics and medical industries. Because lasers are feedback systems, many of their design parameters strongly interact with one another, and arriving at an optimum design requires a really thorough understanding of just how they interact. We report the construction of a sealed CO2 gas discharge laser with a glass laser tube design as well as clear acrylic housing makes this an excellent demonstrational tool. Sealed operation was characterized in mode, power, warm-up and stability over a long time. The results indicate a good operation, optimum wavelength, powers and beam quality will remove material more efficiently in effective industrial applications.

Fabrication of polystyrene microfluidic devices using a pulsed CO2 laser system

KAUST Repository

Li, Huawei

2013-10-10

In this article, we described a simple and rapid method for fabrication of droplet microfluidic devices on polystyrene substrate using a CO2 laser system. The effects of the laser power and the cutting speed on the depth, width and aspect ratio of the microchannels fabricated on polystyrene were investigated. The polystyrene microfluidic channels were encapsulated using a hot press bonding technique. The experimental results showed that both discrete droplets and laminar flows could be obtained in the device.

Fabrication of polystyrene microfluidic devices using a pulsed CO2 laser system

KAUST Repository

Li, Huawei; Fan, Yiqiang; Foulds, Ian G.; Kodzius, Rimantas

2013-01-01

In this article, we described a simple and rapid method for fabrication of droplet microfluidic devices on polystyrene substrate using a CO2 laser system. The effects of the laser power and the cutting speed on the depth, width and aspect ratio of the microchannels fabricated on polystyrene were investigated. The polystyrene microfluidic channels were encapsulated using a hot press bonding technique. The experimental results showed that both discrete droplets and laminar flows could be obtained in the device.

Absorption homogenization at wavy melt films by CO{sub 2}-lasers in contrast to 1 μm-wavelength lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaplan, Alexander F.H., E-mail: alexander.kaplan@ltu.se

2015-02-15

Highlights: • The absorption distribution of 1 μm wavelength lasers compared to 10 μm CO{sub 2}-lasers across a wavy molten steel surface is calculated, at grazing angle of incidence. • For a wide range of surface waviness parameters the CO{sub 2}-laser shows a much more homogenizing absorption behaviour than 1 μm-lasers. • Although the interaction is very complex and non-linear, it is fundamental and very distinct between CO{sub 2}-lasers and 1 μm-lasers, due to their very different Fresnel-absorption characteristics. • The strong local absorption peaks for 1 μm-lasers can cause very strong local boiling and amplification of surface waves, in good correlation to empirical experimental trends. • Such differences can in turn have strong consequences during laser materials processing like laser keyhole welding, laser drilling or laser remote fusion cutting. - Abstract: For wavy metal melts, across a wide range of their topology parameters, lasers with about 1 μm wavelength experience the highest Fresnel absorption around the shoulders of the waves. Calculations show that this induces a strong peak of the absorbed power density of the laser beam. The high temperature gradients have the potential to cause very local boiling and growth of the valleys. In contrast, for a certain parameter category the small Brewster angle for the CO{sub 2}-laser partially homogenizes the temperatures by elevated absorption at domains of grazing incidence. This has the potential to cause opposite consequences on the process, like wave smoothing.

Determination of cut front position in laser cutting

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, M.; Thombansen, U.

2016-07-01

Laser cutting has a huge importance to manufacturing industry. Laser cutting machines operate with fixed technological parameters and this does not guarantee the best productivity. The adjustment of the cutting parameters during operation can improve the machine performance. Based on a coaxial measuring device it is possible to identify the cut front position during the cutting process. This paper describes the data analysis approach used to determine the cut front position for different feed rates. The cut front position was determined with good resolution, but improvements are needed to make the whole process more stable.

Effect of laser incidence angle on cut quality of 4 mm thick stainless steel sheet using fiber laser

Science.gov (United States)

Mullick, Suvradip; Agrawal, Arpit Kumar; Nath, Ashish Kumar

2016-07-01

Fiber laser has potential to outperform the more traditionally used CO2 lasers in sheet metal cutting applications due to its higher efficiency, better beam quality, reliability and ease of beam delivery through optical fiber. It has been however, reported that the higher focusability and shorter wavelength are advantageous for cutting thin metal sheets up to about 2 mm only. Better focasability results in narrower kerf-width, which leads to an earlier flow separation in the flow of assist gas within the kerf, resulting in uncontrolled material removal and poor cut quality. However, the advarse effect of tight focusability can be taken care by shifting the focal point position towards the bottom surface of work-piece, which results in a wider kerf size. This results in a more stable flow within the kerf for a longer depth, which improves the cut quality. It has also been reported that fiber laser has an unfavourable angle of incidence during cutting of thick sections, resulting in poor absorption at the metal surface. Therefore, the effect of laser incidence angle, along with other process parameters, viz. cutting speed and assist gas pressure on the cut quality of 4 mm thick steel sheet has been investigated. The change in laser incidence angle has been incorporated by inclining the beam towards and away from the cut front, and the quality factors are taken as the ratio of kerf width and the striation depth. Besides the absorption of laser radiation, beam inclination is also expected to influence the gas flow characteristics inside the kerf, shear force phenomena on the molten pool, laser beam coupling and laser power distribution at the inclined cut surface. Design of experiment has been used by implementing response surface methodology (RSM) to study the parametric dependence of cut quality, as well as to find out the optimum cut quality. An improvement in quality has been observed for both the inclination due to the combined effect of multiple phenomena.

Development of underwater laser cutting technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Seiichi; Inaba, Takanori; Inose, Koutarou; Matsumoto, Naoyuki; Sakakibara, Yuji

2015-01-01

In is desirable to use remote underwater device for the decommissioning work of highly radioactive components such as the nuclear internals from a view point of reducing the ranitidine exposure to the worker. Underwater laser cutting technology has advantages. First advantage in underwater laser cutting technology is that low reaction force during cutting, namely, remote operability is superior. Second point is that underwater laser cutting generates a little amount of secondary waste, because cutting kerf size is very small. Third point is that underwater laser cutting has low risk of the process delay, because device trouble is hard to happen. While underwater laser cutting has many advantages, the careful consideration in the safe treatment of the offgas which underwater laser cutting generates is necessary. This paper describes outline of underwater laser cutting technology developed by IHI Corporation (IHI) and that this technology is effective in various dismantling works in water. (author)

Determination of cut front position in laser cutting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereira, M; Thombansen, U

2016-01-01

Laser cutting has a huge importance to manufacturing industry. Laser cutting machines operate with fixed technological parameters and this does not guarantee the best productivity. The adjustment of the cutting parameters during operation can improve the machine performance. Based on a coaxial measuring device it is possible to identify the cut front position during the cutting process. This paper describes the data analysis approach used to determine the cut front position for different feed rates. The cut front position was determined with good resolution, but improvements are needed to make the whole process more stable. (paper)

Laser cutting or water-jet cutting. Laser setsudan ka water-jet setsudan ka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamada, T. (Shibuya Kogyo Co. Ltd., Ishikawa (Japan))

1991-05-01

The recent spread of carbon oxide laser cutter is so startlingly fast, but at the same time, water jet cutting using ultra high pressure water stream is drawing attention as it has identical characteristics, and opens the way to cutting materials that have been hitherto difficult to cut. The authors, who are fabricators of cutters of both types, gave the comparisons and explanations on several examples referring to materials that can be cut, cutting accuracy, speed, shape and thermal effects to cut face, and running cost in detail. However, simple comparison is difficult. For instance, cutting 6 mm thick SUS sheet costs a running cost of 65 yen per meter in laser cutting, and 535 yen per meter in water jet cutting, but this situation is often reversed when other material or sheet thickness is selected. The actual situation in the sheet metal processing industry at the present time is that it uses by far more laser processing machines, and uses water jet cutters to supplement for cutting materials more difficult to cut. 10 figs., 3 tabs.

Emerging terawatt picosecond CO2 laser technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pogorelsky, I.V.

1997-09-01

The first terawatt picosecond (TWps) CO 2 laser is under construction at the BNL Accelerator Test Facility (ATF). TWps-CO 2 lasers, having an order of magnitude longer wavelength than the well-known table-top terawatt solid state lasers, offer new opportunities for strong-field physics research. For laser wakefield accelerators (LWFA) the advantage of the new class of lasers is due to a gain of two orders of magnitude in the ponderomotive potential. The large average power of CO 2 lasers is important for the generation of hard radiation through Compton back-scattering of the laser off energetic electron beams. The authors discuss applications of TWps-CO 2 lasers for LWFA modules of a tentative electron-positron collider, for γ-γ (or γ-lepton) colliders, for a possible table-top source of high-intensity x-rays and gamma rays, and the generation of polarized positron beams

Estimation of the laser cutting operating cost by support vector regression methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Jović, Srđan; Radović, Aleksandar; Šarkoćević, Živče; Petković, Dalibor; Alizamir, Meysam

2016-09-01

Laser cutting is a popular manufacturing process utilized to cut various types of materials economically. The operating cost is affected by laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure, nozzle diameter and focus point position as well as the workpiece material. In this article, the process factors investigated were: laser power, cutting speed, air pressure and focal point position. The aim of this work is to relate the operating cost to the process parameters mentioned above. CO2 laser cutting of stainless steel of medical grade AISI316L has been investigated. The main goal was to analyze the operating cost through the laser power, cutting speed, air pressure, focal point position and material thickness. Since the laser operating cost is a complex, non-linear task, soft computing optimization algorithms can be used. Intelligent soft computing scheme support vector regression (SVR) was implemented. The performance of the proposed estimator was confirmed with the simulation results. The SVR results are then compared with artificial neural network and genetic programing. According to the results, a greater improvement in estimation accuracy can be achieved through the SVR compared to other soft computing methodologies. The new optimization methods benefit from the soft computing capabilities of global optimization and multiobjective optimization rather than choosing a starting point by trial and error and combining multiple criteria into a single criterion.

Development of electrical excited CO2-laser with transversal gas flow as well an axial flowed CO2-laser for material treatment, in particular for cutting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wollermann-Windgasse, R.; Ackermann, F.

1987-04-01

The project describes the development of a new generation of CO 2 -lasers using high frequency discharge (13.56 MHz) for laser excitation by capacitive dielectrical input. HF-excitation has a lot of advantages compared with direct current technology, these are higher electrical input power into the plasma, better homogeneity and stability of discharges. In addition to this, HF-excitation shows excellent possibilities for pulsing and modulation. As a result of this, there are compact powerful laser systems with the possibility of scaling up to the multi-kW-range. The examination included fast transversal flowed as well as fast axial flowed systems. In the end of this project development prototypes with laser output power of 1000 W, 1500 W and 3000 W were available. Detailed attempts of application show that these lasers on grounds of excellent laser output quality and controlability of laser power specifically to each process make possible new ways for material treatment by laser. (orig./HP) [de

Thermophysical problems of laser cutting of metals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orishich Anatoliy

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Variety and complex interaction of physical processes during laser cutting is a critical characteristic of the laser cutting of metals. Small spatial and temporal scales complicate significantly the experimental investigations of the multi-phase fluid flow in the conditions of laser cutting of metals. In these conditions, the surface formed during the cutting is an indicator determining the melt flow character. The quantitative parameter reflecting the peculiarities of the multi-phase fluid flow, is normally the roughness of the forming surface, and the minimal roughness is the criterion of the qualitative flow [1 – 2]. The purpose of this work is to perform the experimental comparative investigation of the thermophysical pattern of the multi-phase melt flow in the conditions of the laser cutting of metals with the laser wavelength of 10.6 μm and 1.07 μm.

CO2 laser development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1976-01-01

The research and development programs on high-energy, short-pulse CO 2 lasers were begun at LASL in 1969. Three large systems are now either operating or are being installed. The Single-Beam System (SBS), a four-stage prototype, was designed in 1971 and has been in operation since 1973 with an output energy of 250 J in a 1-ns pulse with an on-target intensity of 3.5 x 10 14 W/cm 2 . The Dual-Beam System (DBS), now in the final stages of electrical and optical checkout, will provide about ten times more power for two-beam target irradiation experiments. Four such dual-beam modules are being installed in the Laser-Fusion Laboratory to provide an Eight-Beam System (EBS) scheduled for operation at the 5- to 10-TW level in 1977. A fourth system, a 100- to 200-TW CO 2 laser, is being designed for the High-Energy Gas Laser Facility (HEGLF) program

The design and development of CO2 medium-level laser power calibration system for industrial and medical applications in Thailand

Science.gov (United States)

Nontapot, Kanokwan

2018-03-01

The carbon dioxide laser (CO2 laser) is one of the most useful and is the highest CW laser at the present. The laser produces infrared light at 10.6 um. Due to its high power, CO2 lasers are usually used in industrial applications such as cutting and welding, or for engraving at less power. CO2 lasers are also used widely in medical applications, such as laser surgery, skin resurfacing, and removing mold, due to water (biological tissue) absorb light at this wavelength very well. CO2 lasers are also used as LIDAR laser source for military range finding applications because of the transparency of the atmosphere to infrared light. Due to the increasing use of CO2 lasers laser in industrial and medical applications in Thailand, the National Institute of Metrology (Thailand) has set up a CO2 laser power calibration system and provide calibration service to customers this year. The service support calibration of medium-level laser power at wavelength of 10.6 um and at power range 100 mW-10W. The design and development of the calibration system will be presented.

Some possibilities for determining cutting data when using laser cutting:

OpenAIRE

Radovanović, Miroslav

2006-01-01

The technological problems faced in the field of the application of laser-cutting machines lie in insufficient knowledge of the laser technique and the absence of both sufficiently reliable practical data and knowledge about the parameters affecting the work process itself. A significant parameter that is necessary to determine and to enter in an NC-program is the cutting speed. Various authors analyze the laser-cutting process and give mathematical models where laser cutting is modeled by us...

Quality and performance of laser cutting with a high power SM fiber laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristiansen, Morten; Selchau, Jacob; Olsen, F. O.

2013-01-01

The introduction of high power single mode fiber lasers allows for a beam of high power and a good beam quality factor (M2 ” 1.2), compared to the multimode fiber lasers often utilised in macro laser metal cutting. This paper describes fundamental studies of macro laser metal cutting with a singl...

Laser cutting: industrial relevance, process optimization, and laser safety

Science.gov (United States)

Haferkamp, Heinz; Goede, Martin; von Busse, Alexander; Thuerk, Oliver

1998-09-01

Compared to other technological relevant laser machining processes, up to now laser cutting is the application most frequently used. With respect to the large amount of possible fields of application and the variety of different materials that can be machined, this technology has reached a stable position within the world market of material processing. Reachable machining quality for laser beam cutting is influenced by various laser and process parameters. Process integrated quality techniques have to be applied to ensure high-quality products and a cost effective use of the laser manufacturing plant. Therefore, rugged and versatile online process monitoring techniques at an affordable price would be desirable. Methods for the characterization of single plant components (e.g. laser source and optical path) have to be substituted by an omnivalent control system, capable of process data acquisition and analysis as well as the automatic adaptation of machining and laser parameters to changes in process and ambient conditions. At the Laser Zentrum Hannover eV, locally highly resolved thermographic measurements of the temperature distribution within the processing zone using cost effective measuring devices are performed. Characteristic values for cutting quality and plunge control as well as for the optimization of the surface roughness at the cutting edges can be deducted from the spatial distribution of the temperature field and the measured temperature gradients. Main influencing parameters on the temperature characteristic within the cutting zone are the laser beam intensity and pulse duration in pulse operation mode. For continuous operation mode, the temperature distribution is mainly determined by the laser output power related to the cutting velocity. With higher cutting velocities temperatures at the cutting front increase, reaching their maximum at the optimum cutting velocity. Here absorption of the incident laser radiation is drastically increased due to

Fibre laser cutting stainless steel: Fluid dynamics and cut front morphology

Science.gov (United States)

Pocorni, Jetro; Powell, John; Deichsel, Eckard; Frostevarg, Jan; Kaplan, Alexander F. H.

2017-01-01

In this paper the morphology of the laser cut front generated by fibre lasers was investigated by observation of the 'frozen' cut front, additionally high speed imaging (HSI) was employed to study the fluid dynamics on the cut front while cutting. During laser cutting the morphology and flow properties of the melt film on the cut front affect cut quality parameters such as cut edge roughness and dross (residual melt attached to the bottom of the cut edge). HSI observation of melt flow down a laser cutting front using standard cutting parameters is experimentally problematic because the cut front is narrow and surrounded by the kerf walls. To compensate for this, artificial parameters are usually chosen to obtain wide cut fronts which are unrepresentative of the actual industrial process. This paper presents a new experimental cutting geometry which permits HSI of the laser cut front using standard, commercial parameters. These results suggest that the cut front produced when cutting medium section (10 mm thick) stainless steel with a fibre laser and a nitrogen assist gas is covered in humps which themselves are covered by a thin layer of liquid. HSI observation and theoretical analysis reveal that under these conditions the humps move down the cut front at an average speed of approximately 0.4 m/s while the covering liquid flows at an average speed of approximately 1.1 m/s, with an average melt depth at the bottom of the cut zone of approximately 0.17 mm.

Emissions generated during laser cutting; safety precautions; Emissions produits lors du coupage au laser; mesures de securite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haferkamp, H.; Goede, M.; Puster, T.; Seebaum, D. [Laser Eentrum, Hanovre (Germany); Bach, F. [Institut fur Werkstoffkunde, Universite de Hanovre (Germany)

1999-07-01

The generation of particulate and gaseous emissions from metals and organic materials during CO{sub 2} and Nd:YAG laser cutting is described. The laser-generated air contaminants (LGAC's) are characterised in terms of their quantity, composition, and chemical complexity, and the emissions are assessed on an occupational medicine basis. The hazard potential of LGAC's are mentioned, and safety systems are discussed.

CO2-laser micromachining and back-end processing for rapid production of PMMA-based microfluidic systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klank, Henning; Kutter, Jörg Peter; Geschke, Oliver

2002-01-01

, a three-layer polymer microstructure with included optical fibers was fabricated within two days. The use of CO2-laser systems to produce microfluidic systems has not been published before. These systems provide a cost effective alternative to UV-laser systems and they are especially useful......In this article, we focus on the enormous potential of a CO2-laser system for rapidly producing polymer microfluidic structures. The dependence was assessed of the depth and width of laser-cut channels on the laser beam power and on the number of passes of the beam along the same channel...... for microstructured PMMA [poly( methyl methacrylate)] parts were investigated, such as solvent-assisted glueing, melting, laminating and surface activation using a plasma asher. A solvent-assisted thermal bonding method proved to be the most time-efficient one. Using laser micromachining together with bonding...

D2O laser pumped by an injection-locked CO2 laser for ion-temperature measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okada, Tatsuo; Ohga, Tetsuaki; Yokoo, Masakazu; Muraoka, Katsunori; Akazaki, Masanori.

1986-01-01

The cooperative Thomson scattering method is one of the various new techniques proposed for measuring the temperature of ions in nuclear fusion critical plasma, for which a high-performance FIR laser pumped by an injection-locked CO 2 laser is required. This report deals with D 2 O laser with a wavelength of 385 μm which is pumped by injection-locked single-mole TEA CO 2 laser composed of a driver laser and an output-stage laser. A small-sized automatic pre-ionization type laser is employed for the driver. The resonator of the driver laser consists of a plane grating of littrow arrangement and ZnSe plane output mirrors with reflection factor of 50 %. An aperture and ZnSe etalon are inserted in the resonator to produce single transverse- and longitudinal-mode oscillation, respectively. The output-stage laser is also of the automatic pre-ionization type. Theoretically, an injection power of 0.1 pW/mm 3 is required for a CO 2 laser. Single-mode oscillation of several hundred nW/mm 3 can be produced by the CO 2 laser used in this study. Tuning of the output-stage laser is easily controlled by the driver laser. High stability of the injection-locked operation is demonstrated. CO 2 laser beam is introduced into the D 2 O laser through a KCl window to excite D 2 O laser beam in the axial direction. Input and output characteristics of the D 2 O laser are shown. Also presented are typical pulse shapes from the D 2 O laser pumped by a free-running CO 2 laser pulse or by an injection-locked single-mode CO 2 laser pulse. (Nogami, K.)

Laser Cutting of Different Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kadir ÇAVDAR

2013-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper; in general potential developments and trends of a particular machining field by extensively evaluating present studies of laser beam machining have been discussed. As it is indicated below, technical literatures have been subsumed under five major headlines: Experimental studies, reviews, optimization researches of the cutting parameters, theoretical modelling studies of laser beam cutting and academic studies relating to laser cutting

Vapor-melt Ratio in Laser Fine Cutting of Slot Arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xuyue; Meng Qingxuan; Kang Renke; Xu Wenji; Guo Dongming; Wang Lianji

2011-01-01

In order to improve cut quality for slot arrays, a new method of laser fine cutting under the consideration of the ratio of vapor to melt is presented. Laser cutting of 6063 aluminum alloy sheet, 0.5 mm in thickness, was carried out on a JK701H Nd:YAG pulse laser cutting system. The effects of vapor-melt ratio on kerf width, surface roughness and recast layer were studied which relate cutting qualities. Observation on the cut samples with different vapor-melt ratios (0.687, 1.574, 3.601 varied with laser power increasing, and 1.535, 3.601, 7.661 with decreasing of beam cutting speed) shows that high vapor-melt ratio improves laser cut quality clearly. Kerf width 0.2 mm of smooth area on kerf top area and thickness 2.03 μm of recast layer are obtained. No dross was found on the kerf bottom and the percentage of the smooth area is up to 40% out of whole kerf side. The research on vapor-melt ratio provides a deeper understanding of laser cutting and improves laser cut quality effectively.

Development of high power pulsed CO2 laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakai, Sadao; Matoba, Masafumi; Fujita, Hisanori; Daido, Hiroyuki; Inoue, Mitsuo

1982-01-01

The inertial nuclear fusion research using pellet implosion has rapidly progressed accompanying laser technique improvement and output increase. As the high output lasers for this purpose, Nd glass lasers or CO 2 lasers are used. The CO 2 lasers possess the characteristics required as reactor lasers, i.e., high efficiency, high frequency repetition, possibility of scale-up and economy. So, the technical development of high power CO 2 lasers assuming also as reactor drivers has been performed at a quick pace together with the research on the improvement of efficiency of pellet implosion by 10 μm laser beam. The Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, stated to build a laser system LEKKO No. 8 of 8 beams and 10 kJ based on the experiences in laser systems LEKKO No. 1 and LEKKO No. 2, and the system LEKKO No. 8 was completed in March, 1981. The operation tests for one year since then has indicated as the laser characteristics that the system performance was as designed initially. This paper reviews the structure, problems and present status of the large scale CO 2 lasers. In other words, the construction of laser system, CO 2 laser proper, oscillator, booster amplifier, prevention of parasitic oscillation, non-linear pulse propagation and fairing of output pulse form, system control and beam alignment, and high power problems are described. The results obtained are to be reported in subsequent issues. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

CO2 laser technology for advanced particle accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pogorelsky, I.V.

1996-06-01

Short-pulse, high-power CO 2 lasers open new prospects for development of ultra-high gradient laser-driven electron accelerators. The advantages of λ=10 μm CO 2 laser radiation over the more widely exploited solid state lasers with λ∼1 μm are based on a λ 2 -proportional ponderomotive potential, λ-proportional phase slippage, and λ-proportional scaling of the laser accelerator structures. We show how a picosecond terawatt CO 2 laser that is under construction at the Brookhaven Accelerator Test Facility may benefit the ATF's experimental program of testing far-field, near-field, and plasma accelerator schemes

Aerodynamic Interactions During Laser Cutting

Science.gov (United States)

Fieret, J.; Terry, M. J.; Ward, B. A.

1986-11-01

Most laser cutting systems utilise a gas jet to remove molten or vaporised material from the kerf. The speed, economy and quality of the cut can be strongly dependent on the aerodynamic conditions created by the nozzle, workpiece proximity and kerf shape. Adverse conditions can be established that may lead to an unwelcome lack of reproducibility of cut quality. Relatively low gas nozzle pressures can result in supersonic flow in the jet with its associated shock fronts. When the nozzle is placed at conventional distances (1-2mm) above the workpiece, the force exerted by the gas on the workpiece and the cut products (the cutting pressure) can be significantly less than the nozzle pressure. Higher cutting pressures can be achieved by increasing the height of the nozzle above the workpiece, to a more damage resistant zone, provided that the shock structure of the jet is taken into account. Conventional conical nozzles with circular exits can be operated with conditions that will result in cutting pressures up to 3 Bar (g) in the more distant zone. At higher pressures in circular tipped nozzles the cutting pressure in this zone decays to inadequate levels. Investigations of a large number of non-circular nozzle tip shapes have resulted in the selection of a few specific shapes that can provide cutting pressures in excess of 6 Bar(g) at distances of 4 to 7mm from the nozzle tip. Since there is a strong correlation between cutting pressure and the speed and quality of laser cutting, the paper describes the aerodynamic requirements for achieving the above effects and reports the cutting results arising from the different nozzle designs and conditions. The results of the work of other investigators, who report anomalous laser cutting results, will be examined and reviewed in the light of the above work.

Application of laser cutting in shipbuilding factory. Improvement in cutting accuracy and drastic production capacity increase by night-time unmanned operation; Zosen kojo ni okeru laser setsudan no tekiyo. Setsudan seido kojo, yakan mujin unten de seisan noryoku ohaba up

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-06-01

A shipbuilding factory which introduced the laser cutting machine is introduced. The laser cutting machine was selected to improve cutting accuracy, improve working environment, and achieve unmanned operation. In this factory, a thin plate with a plate thickness of approximately 10 mm is expected to be machined, and the cutting line consists of two plasma cutting machines, one laser cutting machine, and one gas cutting line and the NC rate is high (97 %). The laser cutting machine incorporates a CO2 laser oscillation machine with a maximum output of 3.5 kW. The following result was obtained as compared with the plasma cutting machine. The cutting accuracy was 0.5 mm or less of the calf margin and no upper edge did not melt down and the distortion was low. No dross adheres and the secondary treatment man-hour decreased. Since it was not necessary to replace an electrode by a new one, a continuous unmanned operation was enabled. The automatic power off function, etc. achieve safety measures against earthquake, etc. Neither fume nor noise was generated. Since the dust collector is not required, the initial cost is low and the running cost is inexpensive, namely 31 yen per meter (40 yen for the plasma cutting machine). 7 figs., 2 tabs.

Emerging terawatt picosecond CO{sub 2} laser technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pogorelsky, I V [Accelerator Test Facility, Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)

1998-03-01

The first terawatt picosecond (TWps) CO{sub 2} laser is under construction at the BNL Accelerator Test Facility (ATF). TWps-CO{sub 2} lasers, having an order of magnitude longer wavelength than the well-known table-top terawatt solid state lasers, offer new opportunities for strong-field physics research. For laser wakefield accelerators (LWFA) the advantage of the new class of lasers is due to a gain of two orders of magnitude in the ponderomotive potential. The large average power of CO{sub 2} lasers is important for the generation of hard radiation through Compton back-scattering of the laser off energetic electron beams. We discuss applications of TWps-CO{sub 2} lasers for LWFA modules of a tentative electron-positron collider, for {gamma}-{gamma} (or {gamma}-lepton) colliders, for a possible `table-top` source of high-intensity x-rays and gamma rays, and the generation of polarized positron beams. (author)

2-Micron Laser Transmitter for Coherent CO2 DIAL Measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Upendra N.; Bai, Yingxin; Yu, Jirong

2009-01-01

Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been recognized as one of the most important greenhouse gases. It is essential for the study of global warming to accurately measure the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and continuously record its variation. A high repetition rate, highly efficient, Q-switched 2-micron laser system as the transmitter of a coherent differential absorption lidar for CO2 measurement has been developed in NASA Langley Research Center. This laser system is capable of making a vertical profiling of CO2 from ground and column measurement of CO2 from air and space-borne platform. The transmitter is a master-slave laser system. The master laser operates in a single frequency, either on-line or off-line of a selected CO2 absorption line. The slave laser is a Q-switched ring-cavity Ho:YLF laser which is pumped by a Tm:fiber laser. The repetition rate can be adjusted from a few hundred Hz to 10 kHz. The injection seeding success rate is from 99.4% to 99.95%. For 1 kHz operation, the output pulse energy is 5.5mJ with the pulse length of 50 ns. The optical-to-optical efficiency is 39% when the pump power is 14.5W. A Ho:YLF laser operating in the range of 2.05 micrometers can be tuned over several characteristic lines of CO2 absorption. Experimentally, a diode pumped Ho:Tm:YLF laser has been successfully used as the transmitter of coherent differential absorption lidar for the measurement of CO2 with a repetition rate of 5 Hz and pulse energy of 75 mJ. For coherent detection, high repetition rate is required for speckle averaging to obtain highly precise measurements. However, a diode pumped Ho:Tm:YLF laser can not operate in high repetition rate due to the large heat loading and up-conversion. A Tm:fiber laser pumped Ho:YLF laser with low heat loading can operate in high repetition rate. A theoretical model has been established to simulate the performance of Tm:fiber laser pumped Ho:YLF lasers. For continuous wave (CW) operation, high pump intensity with small beam

[Experimental study of brain lesions after combined coaxial exposure to high-peaked pulse wave form CO2 and Nd: YAG lasers on the brain].

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuyumu, M; Verasques, G; Yamazaki, S; Kuroiwa, T; Suzuki, R; Takei, H; Suzuki, K; Inaba, Y

1985-04-01

The CO2 laser is useful for cutting and vaporization but not for coagulation and hemostasis. On the contrary, YAG laser is effective for coagulation and hemostasis but not for cutting. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the exposure of combined, coaxial CO2 and YAG laser on the animal brain to supplement the advantages and draw-backs of each other. To compare these results, each of non-combined pulse wave form CO2 and YAG lasers was employed separately. The lasers in this study were pulse wave form CO2 and YAG lasers, employed separately or simultaneously using 130 YZ of Nihon Infrared Industries Company. Japanese white rabbits were anesthetized with pentobarbital. Fronto-parietal burr holes were made, the dura was removed and then Evans blue solution was injected intravenously. The lasers were employed to the cerebral cortex without great vessels using a micromanipulator attached to the operative microscope with a distance of 30 cm. The spot size was 700 mu for CO2 laser and 1200 mu for YAG laser. The first experiment was to see the effect of nine combinations of simultaneous coaxial CO2 of 2, 4 and 8 watts and YAG lasers of 10, 20 and 40 watts, 1 sec on the brain. In the second experiment, also combining two lasers, the exposure time of YAG laser was elongated from 1 or 2 seconds into 2 or 4 seconds and the arrangement of powers was the same as that of the first experiment. The lesions were thus made in 18 different conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hydrodynamics of material removal by melt expulsion: Perspectives of laser cutting and drilling

Science.gov (United States)

Poprawe, Reinhart; Schulz, Wolfgang; Schmitt, Robert

With the introduction of fiber-guided radiation at 1 μ wavelength emitting in the milti-kW range at better beam quality than CO2-lasers the most established application in laser processing, namely laser fusion cutting, came back into the industrial and scientific focus. Laser sources with extraordinary optical and economical properties - disk and fiber lasers - in a stormy way enter the market of cutting machines so far reserved for the 10 μ radiation source and led to a volatile situation. The new laser sources can already address a market-relevant class of applications, namely, fusion cutting of steel up to a sheet thickness of 2 mm with pronounced advantages in productivity. However, there is a significant lack of cut quality for larger sheet thickness. The main reason for the drawback and its physical background are given. With the availability of cutting machines with 1 μ fiber-guided radiation the race for the worldwide market regarding the larger sheet thickness is opened and the priority issues to improve the cut quality are related to the three levels: wavelength, beam delivery and the application stage of the machine. The stability model called QuCut is presented which for the first time allows to analyze stability of cutting with fiber-guided radiation. Experimental ripple patterns and ripple spectra resolved with respect to the cutting depth are well reproduced by the new stability model. A number of different experimental methods towards an improved understanding of the dynamics in laser drilling are developed, however, there are gaps related to in-situ observation which is obscured by the hole walls. There are four novel experimental methods resolving the dynamics from a μms-down to a ns-time scale having a spatial resolution with respect to transient drilling depth on the μm scale. As result, the different mechanisms contributing to recast formation and dynamical features of drilling are revealed in more detail. In particular, the action of

Technology of discharge and laser resonators for high power CO2 lasers. Koshutsuryoku CO2 laser ni tsukawareru hoden reiki laser kyoshinki gijutsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takenaka, Y.; Kuzumoto, M. (Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Tokyo (Japan))

1994-03-20

This paper describes discharge excitation technology and resonator technology as basic technologies for high power CO2 lasers. As a result of progress in high-frequency power element techniques, the discharge excitation technology now generally uses laser excitation using AC discharge of capacity coupling type. Its representative example is silent discharge (SD) excitation. This is a system to excite laser by applying high voltages with as high frequency as 100 kHz to 1 MHz across a pair of electrodes covered with a dielectric material. The system maintains stability in discharge even if power supply voltage amplitude is modulated, and easily provides pulse outputs. Discharge excitation for diffusion cooled type CO2 laser generates a discharge in a gap with a gap length of about 2 mm, and can perform gas cooling by means of thermal conduction of gas, whereas a compact resonator can be fabricated. A resonator for the diffusion cooled type CO2 laser eliminates gas circulation and cooling systems, hence the device can be made more compact. A report has been given that several of these compact resonators were combined, from which a laser output of 85W was obtained by using RF discharge of 2kW. 43 refs., 21 figs.

Picosecond CO2 laser for relativistic particle acceleration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pogorelsky, I.; Ben-Zvi, I.; Kimura, W.D.; Kurnit, N.A.; Kannari, F.

1994-01-01

A table-top 20-GW 50-ps CO 2 laser system is under operation at the Brookhaven Accelerator Test Facility. We compare laser performance with model predictions. Extrapolations suggest the possibility of compact terawatt CO 2 laser systems suitable as laser accelerator drivers and for other strong-field applications. Latest progress on an Inverse Cherenkov Laser Accelerator experiment is reported

Elimination of striation in laser cutting of mild steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobih, M; Crouse, P L; Li, L

2007-01-01

High-power laser cutting is extensively used in many industrial applications. An important weakness of this process is the formation of striations (regular lines down the cut surface), which affect the quality of the surfaces produced. The elimination of striation formation is of considerable importance, since it could open up a variety of novel high-precision applications. This study presents the results of oxygen-assisted laser cutting of EN43 mild steel sheets, using a high-power fibre laser. Striation-free laser cuts are demonstrated for cutting 1 and 2 mm thick mild steel sheets. The optimal operating windows are presented and a mathematical method is proposed to estimate the critical speed at which striation-free cut can be obtained

Elimination of striation in laser cutting of mild steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sobih, M; Crouse, P L; Li, L [Laser Processing Research Centre, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, Sackville Street Building, PO Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD (United Kingdom)

2007-11-21

High-power laser cutting is extensively used in many industrial applications. An important weakness of this process is the formation of striations (regular lines down the cut surface), which affect the quality of the surfaces produced. The elimination of striation formation is of considerable importance, since it could open up a variety of novel high-precision applications. This study presents the results of oxygen-assisted laser cutting of EN43 mild steel sheets, using a high-power fibre laser. Striation-free laser cuts are demonstrated for cutting 1 and 2 mm thick mild steel sheets. The optimal operating windows are presented and a mathematical method is proposed to estimate the critical speed at which striation-free cut can be obtaine000.

Development of high-power CO2 lasers and laser material processing

Science.gov (United States)

Nath, Ashish K.; Choudhary, Praveen; Kumar, Manoj; Kaul, R.

2000-02-01

Scaling laws to determine the physical dimensions of the active medium and optical resonator parameters for designing convective cooled CO2 lasers have been established. High power CW CO2 lasers upto 5 kW output power and a high repetition rate TEA CO2 laser of 500 Hz and 500 W average power incorporated with a novel scheme for uniform UV pre- ionization have been developed for material processing applications. Technical viability of laser processing of several engineering components, for example laser surface hardening of fine teeth of files, laser welding of martensitic steel shroud and titanium alloy under-strap of turbine, laser cladding of Ni super-alloy with stellite for refurbishing turbine blades were established using these lasers. Laser alloying of pre-placed SiC coating on different types of aluminum alloy, commercially pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V alloy, and laser curing of thermosetting powder coating have been also studied. Development of these lasers and results of some of the processing studies are briefly presented here.

Laser Cutting of Thick Diamond Films Using Low-Power Laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Y.J.; Baik, Y.J. [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea)

2000-02-01

Laser cutting of thick diamond films is studied rising a low-power(10 W) copper vapor laser. Due to the existence of the saturation depth in laser cutting, thick diamond films are not easily cut by low-power lasers. In this study, we have adopted a low thermal- conductivity underlayer of alumina and a heating stage (up to 500 deg. C in air) to prevent the laser energy from consuming-out and, in turn, enhance the cutting efficiency. Aspect ratio increases twice from 3.5 to 7 when the alumina underlayer used. Adopting a heating stage also increases aspect ratio and more than 10 is obtained at higher temperatures than 400 deg. C. These results show that thick diamond films can be cut, with low-power lasers, simply by modifying the thermal property of underlayer. (author). 13 refs., 5 figs.

Clinical effects of CO2 laser on equine diseases

Science.gov (United States)

Lindholm, Arne; Svensson, Ulf; Collinder, Eje

2002-10-01

CO2 lasers has been used for five years at Malaren Equine Hospital, as an alternative treatment of some equine diseases. The application of CO2 laser has been studied for evaluation of its appropriateness for treatment of the equine diseases sarcoids, lameness in fetlock joints or pulmonary haemorrhage. During the last five years, above 100 equine sarcoids have been removed by laser surgery (CO2 laser) and so far resulting in significantly few recurrences compared with results from usual excision surgery. In one study, acute traumatic arthritis in fetlock joints was treated three times every second day with defocalised CO2 laser. The therapeutic effectiveness of CO2 laser in this study was better than that of the customary therapy with betamethasone plus hyaluronan. During one year, chronic pulmonary bleeders, namely exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage, has been treated with defocalised CO2 laser. Six race horses have been treated once daily during five days. Until now, three of these horses have subsequently been successfully racing and no symptoms of pulmonary haemorrhage have been observed. These studies indicate that CO2 laser might be an appropriate therapy on sarcoids and traumatic arthritis, and probably also on exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage. Other treatments for this pulmonary disease are few.

One-step patterning of hollow microstructures in paper by laser cutting to create microfluidic analytical devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Jinfang; Liang, Yuanzhi; Zhang, Yun; Le, Shangwang; Li, Dunnan; Zhang, Songbai

2013-01-21

In this paper, we report a simple, low-cost method for rapid, highly reproductive fabrication of paper-based microfluidics by using a commercially available, minitype CO(2) laser cutting/engraving machine. This method involves only one operation of cutting a piece of paper by laser according to a predesigned pattern. The hollow microstructures formed in the paper are used as the 'hydrophobic barriers' to define the hydrophilic flowing paths. A typical paper device on a 4 cm × 4 cm piece of paper can be fabricated within ∼7-20 s; it is ready for use once the cutting process is finished. The main fabrication parameters such as the applied current and cutting rate of the laser were optimized. The fabrication resolution and multiplexed analytical capability of the hollow microstructure-patterned paper were also characterized.

Cutting thin glass by femtosecond laser ablation

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Hyesung; Kim, Dongsik

2018-06-01

The femtosecond laser ablation process for cutting thin aluminoborosilicate glass sheets of thickness 100 μm was investigated with emphasis on effective cutting speed (Veff) and mechanical strength of diced samples. The process parameters including the laser fluence (F), overlap ratio (r) of the laser beam and polarization direction were varied at a fixed pulse repetition rate f = 1 kHz to find the optimal process condition that maximizes Veff and edge strength. A three-point bending test was performed to evaluate the front-side and back-side bending (edge) strength of the laser-cut samples. Veff was proportional to F unless r exceeded a critical value, at which excessive energy began to be delivered at the same spot. The front-side edge strength was bigger than the back-side strength because of the back-side damages such as chipping. Good edge strength, as high as ∼280 MPa (front-side) and ∼230 MPa (back-side), was obtained at F = 19 J/m2, r = 0.99, with laser polarization vertical to the cutting path.

Laser Cutting of Carbon Fiber Fabrics

Science.gov (United States)

Fuchs, A. N.; Schoeberl, M.; Tremmer, J.; Zaeh, M. F.

Due to their high weight-specific mechanical stiffness and strength, parts made from carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) are increasingly used as structural components in the aircraft and automotive industry. However, the cutting of preforms, as with most automated manufacturing processes for CFRP components, has not yet been fully optimized. This paper discusses laser cutting, an alternative method to the mechanical cutting of preforms. Experiments with remote laser cutting and gas assisted laser cutting were carried out in order to identify achievable machining speeds. The advantages of the two different processes as well as their fitness for use in mass production are discussed.

Laser cutting: influence on morphological and physicochemical properties of polyhydroxybutyrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Lootz, D; Behrend, D; Kramer, S; Freier, T; Haubold, A; Benkiesser, G; Schmitz, K P; Becher, B

2001-09-01

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a biocompatible and resorbable implant material. For these reasons, it has been used for the fabrication of temporary stents, bone plates, nails and screws (Peng et al. Biomaterials 1996;17:685). In some cases, the brittle mechanical properties of PHB homopolymer limit its application. A typical plasticizer, triethylcitrate (TEC), was used to overcome such limitations by making the material more pliable. In the past few years, CO2-laser cutting of PHB was used in the manufacturing of small medical devices such as stents. Embrittlement of plasticized PHB tubes has been observed, after laser machining. Consequently, the physicochemical and morphological properties of laser-processed surfaces and cut edges of plasticized polymer samples were examined to determine the extent of changes in polymer properties as a result of laser machining. These studies included determination of the depth of the laser-induced heat affected zone by polariscopy of thin polymer sections. Molecular weight changes and changes in the TEC content as a function of distance from the laser-cut edge were determined. In a preliminary test, the cellular response to the processed material was investigated by cell culture study of L929 mouse fibroblasts on laser-machined surfaces. The heat-affected zone was readily classified into four different regions with a total depth of about 60 to 100 microm (Klamp, Master Thesis, University of Rostock, 1998). These results correspond well with the chemical analysis and molecular weight measurements. Furthermore, it was found that cells grew preferentially on the laser-machined area. These findings have significant implications for the manufacture of medical implants from PHB by laser machining.

Melt Flow and Energy Limitation of Laser Cutting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavel Hudeček

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Laser technology is a convertible technology for plenty of parts in most materials. Laser material processing for industrial manufacturing applications is today a widespread procedure for welding, cutting, marking and micro machining of metal and plastic parts and components. Involvement and support this huge mass-production industry of laser cutting, new technology and dry-process using lasers were and are being actively developed. Fundamentally, industrial laser cutting or other applications on industry should satisfy the four key practical application issues including “Quality or Performance”, “Throughput or Speed”, “Cost or Total Ownership Cost”, and “Reliability”. Laser requires for examples several complicated physical factors to be resolved including die strength to be enable good wire-bonding and survival of severe cycling test, clean cutting wall surface, good cutting of direct attach film, and proper speed of cutting for achieving economy of throughput. Some example of maximum cutting rate, wherewith is normally limited laser energy, cutting speed is depend on type laser, different of cutting with one laser beam and beam pattern and applied laser power/material thickness will be introduced in this paper.

Laser cutting - trends in the development,

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemming Ove

2002-01-01

Since the laser was invented in 1960, the industrial applications of this tool has grown and grown. And - since the beginning of the 1980'ies, the major industrial application of lasers in production has been laser cutting. In this paper a short review of the development of the laser cutting...

CO2 laser technology for advanced particle accelerators. Revision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pogorelsky, I.V.

1996-06-01

Short-pulse, high-power CO 2 lasers open new prospects for development of ultra-high gradient laser-driven electron accelerators. The advantages of λ=10 μm CO 2 laser radiation over the more widely exploited solid state lasers with λ∼1 μm are based on a λ 2 -proportional ponderomotive potential, λ-proportional phase slippage distance, and λ-proportional scaling of the laser accelerator structures. We show how a picosecond terawatt CO 2 laser that is under construction at the Brookhaven Accelerator Test Facility may benefit the ATF's experimental program of testing far-field, near-field, and plasma accelerator schemes

Quality Analysis of Cutting Steel Using Laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladislav Markovič

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The article explores the quality dependence of the edge surface of steel C45 LST EN 10083-1 obtained cutting the material using laser on different cutting regimes and variations in the thickness of trial steel. The paper presents the influence of the main modes of laser cutting equipment Trulaser 3030, including cutting speed, pressure, angle and the thickness of the surface on the quality characteristics of the sample. The quality of the edge after laser cutting is the most important indicator influencing such technological spread in industry worldwide. Laser cutting is the most popular method of material cutting. Therefore, the article focuses on cutting equipment, cutting defects and methods of analysis. Research on microstructure, roughness and micro-toughness has been performed with reference to edge samples. At the end of the publication, conclusions are drawn.Article in Lithuanian

Quality Analysis of Cutting Steel Using Laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladislav Markovič

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The article explores the quality dependence of the edge surface of steel C45 LST EN 10083-1 obtained cutting the material using laser on different cutting regimes and variations in the thickness of trial steel. The paper presents the influence of the main modes of laser cutting equipment Trulaser 3030, including cutting speed, pressure, angle and the thickness of the surface on the quality characteristics of the sample. The quality of the edge after laser cutting is the most important indicator influencing such technological spread in industry worldwide. Laser cutting is the most popular method of material cutting. Therefore, the article focuses on cutting equipment, cutting defects and methods of analysis. Research on microstructure, roughness and micro-toughness has been performed with reference to edge samples. At the end of the publication, conclusions are drawn.Article in Lithuanian

New 445 nm blue laser for laryngeal surgery combines photoangiolytic and cutting properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Markus M; Fleischer, Susanne; Ernstberger, Marcel

2018-06-01

Photoangiolytic lasers have broadened the surgical armamentarium for many phonosurgical interventions. However, the pulse dye laser and potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser have technical drawbacks and a smaller spectrum of indications. The new 445 nm wavelength laser, the so-called 'blue laser', proves to show tissue effects comparable to the KTP laser and is also capable of treating subepithelial vessels due to its photoangiolytic properties, it can coagulate and carbonize at higher energy levels, and can be used via glass fibers in non-contact and contact mode for in-office procedures. In contrast to the KTP, the new 445 nm laser can also be used as a cutting laser, thus combining very much wanted properties of diode or CO2 lasers with photoangiolytic lasers. Further advantages of the new laser are the; (1) portability of the shoe box sized, shock-proof laser machine for in-office and operating room usage, (2) the selection of pulse rates from continuous wave (cw) to less than a millisecond, (3) stronger tissue effects compared to KTP with similar energy and pulse settings, (4) far better cutting properties than the KTP, and thus (5) more possibilities for usage in laryngology as well as in other fields or surgery. We demonstrate the feasibility of the 445 nm laser in several laboratory experiments and show clinical cases where photoangiolysis and cutting was possible. However, this is a preliminary report and further systematic studies in greater numbers are warranted.

Stereotactic CO2 laser therapy for hydrocephalus

Science.gov (United States)

Kozodoy-Pins, Rebecca L.; Harrington, James A.; Zazanis, George A.; Nosko, Michael G.; Lehman, Richard M.

1994-05-01

A new fiber-optic delivery system for CO2 radiation has been used to successfully treat non-communicating hydrocephalus. This system consists of a hollow sapphire waveguide employed in the lumen of a stereotactically-guided neuroendoscope. CO2 gas flows through the bore of the hollow waveguide, creating a path for the laser beam through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This delivery system has the advantages of both visualization and guided CO2 laser radiation without the same 4.3 mm diameter scope. Several patients with hydrocephalus were treated with this new system. The laser was used to create a passage in the floor of the ventricle to allow the flow of CSF from the ventricles to the sub-arachnoid space. Initial postoperative results demonstrated a relief of the clinical symptoms. Long-term results will indicate if this type of therapy will be superior to the use of implanted silicone shunts. Since CO2 laser radiation at 10.6 micrometers is strongly absorbed by the water in tissue and CSF, damage to tissue surrounding the lesion with each laser pulse is limited. The accuracy and safety of this technique may prove it to be an advantageous therapy for obstructive hydrocephalus.

Investigation of scleral buckling by CO2 laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maswadi, S.

2001-05-01

This thesis investigates the effect of using the infrared wavelength CO 2 laser (10.6μm) as a localised heat source for inducing scleral buckling on eyes. Retinal detachment disease is a major cause of blindness and the scleral buckling is an important technique used in treatment. A radio-frequency excited 10.6λm laser source is used to heat collagen in the sclera above its shrinkage temperature so as to produce a localised indentation and deformation in the human eye (in vitro). Basic measurements of the onset shrinkage temperatures of porcine and human sclera are taken. Optical properties of sclera tissue at 10.6μm are also determined to provide information about the interaction of the CO 2 laser with the sclera. It is found that CO 2 laser radiation is highly absorbed by the scleral water. Optical diffraction technique is investigated to quantify in-plane deformation in the sclera tissue as result of heating by producing grating on porcine and human sclera using the ArF laser (193nm). Photothermal deflection technique is also used to investigate scleral ablation by using the TEA and Ultrapulse CO 2 laser. This technique provides a useful guide to the regime where ablation rather than heat shrinkage of collagen in the sclera will dominate using the Ultrapulse CO 2 laser. A quantitative assessment of buckling using the technique of projection moire interferometry is described which allows a non-contact measurement to be made of the out-of-plane displacement by laser radiation. In-plane surface strain (shrinkage) has also been demonstrated using in-situ optical microscopy of the laser treated eye. The moire method is suitable to obtain information on buckling in real time and to obtain a three-dimensional view of the eye surface as laser treatment proceeds. A theoretical heat flow model is described for predicting the temperature profile produced in the sclera using the Ultrapulse CO 2 laser. For appropriate exposure parameters the CO 2 laser is found to be an

Are the same tapes really the same? Ultrasound study of laser-cut and mechanically cut TVT-O post-operative behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Rusavy, Zdenek; Masata, Jaromir; Svabik, Kamil; Hubka, Petr; Zvara, Karel; Martan, Alois

2017-11-25

TVT-O production has been modified to laser cutting from mechanical cutting. We compared the behavior of laser and mechanically cut tension-free vaginal tape-obturator (TVT-O) using ultrasound at various time points after surgery. This is a retrospective analysis of clinical and ultrasound data from two previously reported randomized controlled trials with TVT-O. Behavior of mechanically cut TVT-O implanted in January 2007 to November 2009 and laser-cut TVT-O implanted in May 2010 to May 2012 was assessed by ultrasound at day 1, the 2nd week, the 3rd month, and the 1st and 2nd years post-operatively. Bladder neck and tape margins positions were described by coordinates in the orthogonal system calculated from polar coordinates. Tape mobility was measured as a change in the upper and lower tape margin position from rest to maximal Valsalva. Comparison of 2-year subjective and objective surgery outcomes was also performed. In total, 68 mechanically cut and 50 laser-cut TVT-Os were implanted. Follow-up data were available from 49 and 45 women respectively. No differences in any baseline characteristics or bladder neck mobility were observed. Significantly lower tape mobility was observed on day 1 and week 2 after mechanically cut TVT-O, although subsequent mobility was comparable to laser-cut TVT-O. The subjective and objective surgery outcomes were comparable. Although without clinical significance, early postoperative behavior of the mechanically cut and laser-cut TVT-O tapes differs. The less stiff, mechanically-cut TVT-O loosens within 2 weeks of implantation, whereas the stiffer, laser-cut TVT-O keeps its tension.

Laser cutting - from 200 Watt to 12 Kilowatt

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemming Ove; Nielsen, Jakob Skov

2004-01-01

Laser cutting is the most widespread industrial application of high power lasers. The development of this process was initiated around 1970, when scientists at TWI first demonstrated laser cutting with coaxial gas assistance. 10 years later, the polarisation problem was solved and the technology ...... got its breakthrough. Since then some 30,000 laser cutting systems have been installed worldwide, making the laser an important cutting tool in modern industry....

LASER CUTTING MACHINES FOR 3-D THIN SHEET PARTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miroslav RADOVANOVIC

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Laser cutting machines are used for precise contour cutting thin sheet. In industrial application nowadays various types and construction of laser cutting machines can be met. For contour cutting 3-D thin sheet parts laser cutting machines with rotation movements and laser robots are used. Laser generates the light beam, that presents a tool in working process. Application of laser cutting machines made possible good quality of products, flexibility of production and enlargement of economy

Laser Cutting of Thin Nickel Bellows

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, C. L.

1986-01-01

Laser cutting technique produces narrow, precise, fast, and repeatable cuts in thin nickel-allow bellows material. Laser cutting operation uses intense focused beam to melt material and assisting gas to force melted material through part thickness, creating void. When part rotated or moved longitudinally, melting and material removal continuous and creates narrow, fast, precise, and repeatable cut. Technique used to produce cuts of specified depths less than material thickness. Avoids distortion, dents, and nicks produced in delicate materials during lathe trimming operations, which require high cutting-tool pressure and holding-fixture forces.

CO2 laser photolysis of clustered ions, (1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikezoe, Yasumasa; Soga, Takeshi; Suzuki, Kazuya; Ohno, Shin-ichi.

1990-09-01

Vibrational excitation and the following decomposition of cluster ions by CO 2 laser photons are studied. Characteristics of the cluster ion and the CO 2 laser photon are summarized in their relation to the photolysis of cluster ions. An apparatus was installed, which is composed of (1) corona discharge-jet expansion section (formation of cluster ions), (2) CO 2 laser section (photolysis of cluster ions), and (3) mass spectrometer section. Experimental results of ammonia cluster ions were described. Effects of repeller voltage, shape of repellers, and adiabatic cooling are examined on the formation of ammonia cluster ions by corona discharge-jet expansion method. Collisional dissociation of cluster ions was observed at high repeller voltages. Size distribution of the ammonia cluster ion is discussed in connection with the temperature of cluster ions. Intensity of CO 2 laser was related to decomposition yield of cluster ions. (author)

Studies on CO2-laser Hybrid-Welding of Copper

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jakob Skov; Olsen, Flemming Ove; Bagger, Claus

2005-01-01

CO2-laser welding of copper is known to be difficult due to the high heat conductivity of the material and the high reflectivity of copper at the wavelength of the CO2-laser light. THis paper presents a study of laser welding of copper, applying laser hybrid welding. Welding was performed as a hy...

Validity of reciprocity rule on mouse skin thermal damage due to CO2 laser irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Parvin, P.; Dehghanpour, H. R.; Moghadam, M. S.; Daneshafrooz, V.

2013-07-01

CO2 laser (10.6 μm) is a well-known infrared coherent light source as a tool in surgery. At this wavelength there is a high absorbance coefficient (860 cm-1), because of vibration mode resonance of H2O molecules. Therefore, the majority of the irradiation energy is absorbed in the tissue and the temperature of the tissue rises as a function of power density and laser exposure duration. In this work, the tissue damage caused by CO2 laser (1-10 W, ˜40-400 W cm-2, 0.1-6 s) was measured using 30 mouse skin samples. Skin damage assessment was based on measurements of the depth of cut, mean diameter of the crater and the carbonized layer. The results show that tissue damage as assessed above parameters increased with laser fluence and saturated at 1000 J cm-2. Moreover, the damage effect due to high power density at short duration was not equivalent to that with low power density at longer irradiation time even though the energy delivered was identical. These results indicate the lack of validity of reciprocity (Bunsen-Roscoe) rule for the thermal damage.

On the Gas Dynamics of Inert-Gas-Assisted Laser Cutting of Steel Plate

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, A. D.; Settles, G. S.; Scroggs, S. D.

1996-11-01

Laser beam cutting of sheet metal requires an assist gas to blow away the molten material. Since the assist-gas dynamics influences the quality and speed of the cut, the orientation of the gas nozzle with respect to the kerf is also expected to be important. A 1 kW cw CO2 laser with nitrogen assist gas was used to cut mild steel sheet of 1 to 4 mm thickness, using a sonic coaxial nozzle as a baseline. Off-axis nozzles were oriented from 20 deg to 60 deg from normal with exit Mach numbers from 1 to 2.4. Results showed maximum cutting speed at a 40 deg nozzle orientation. Shadowgrams of a geometrically-similar model kerf then revealed a separated shock wave-boundary layer interaction within the kerf for the (untilted) coaxial nozzle case. This was alleviated, resulting in a uniform supersonic flow throughout the kerf and consequent higher cutting speeds, by tilting the nozzle between 20 deg and 45 deg from the normal. This result did not depend upon the exit Mach number of the nozzle. (Research supported by NSF Grant DMI-9400119.)

Laser cutting of sheets for Tailored Blanks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bagger, Claus; Olsen, Flemming Ove

1999-01-01

sound welds. Laser cutting the sheets may therefore be an alternative to shear cutting, if the cut kerf squareness can be kept below 0.05 mm.In a number of systematic laboratory experiments the effects of the major process parameters in laser cutting have been investigated. Each cut was quantified...... by the squareness, the surface roughness and the burr height. Mild steel as well as high strength steel with and with out galvanisation with thickness' of 0.7(5) and 1.25 were used.In the tests the difference in cut quality between a 5" and a 7.5" focusing lens were tested and the effect of using pulsed mode laser...

CO2 electric discharge lasers - Present status and future applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reilly, J.P.

1979-01-01

CO 2 electric discharge lasers (EDLs) have proven themselves to be efficient sources of high-power high-quality laser energy. The paper outlines applications of high-power CO 2 EDLs, applications which are now becoming commercially viable, as well as those which are still being investigated in research laboratories. Applications of CO 2 lasers are discussed relative to industrial applications (laser welding, laser surface hardening, heat treatment, and surface chemistry modification by laser alloying and laser glazing), laser radar applications, laser-induced fusion, and laser propulsion. Attention is given to requirements of applications versus status of technology. Examples are given of the engineering solutions used to address the technology issues identified by particular laser applications

Longitudinally excited CO2 laser with multiple laser tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Uno, Kazuyuki; Akitsu, Tetsuya; Jitsuno, Takahisa

2016-11-01

We developed a longitudinally excited CO2 laser system that was constituted of two or three laser tubes and a single driving circuit. The multiple laser tubes simultaneously produced almost the same short laser pulses with a spike pulse width of about 164 ns and a pulse tail length of about 74 μs with a single driving circuit. The double-tube system was constituted of two 30 cm-long laser tubes with inner diameters of 13 mm and 16 mm and a single driving circuit with an input energy of 2.18 J. The output energy of the 13 mm-tube was 23.3 mJ, and that of the 16 mm-tube was 21.9 mJ at a gas pressure of 4.2 kPa (CO2:N2:He = 1:1:2). The triple-tube system was constituted of three 30 cm-long laser tubes with inner diameters of 9 mm, 13 mm, and 16 mm and a single driving circuit with an input energy of 2.18 J. The output energy of the 9 mm tube was 15.9 mJ, that of the 13 mm tube was 24.1 mJ, and that of the 16 mm tube was 19.2 mJ at a gas pressure of 4.2 kPa. With the same driving circuit and the same input energy, the total output energies of the multitube laser systems were higher than the output energy of a single-tube system.

Application of laser cutting technology to high radiation environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pauley, K.A.; Mitchell, M.R.; Saget, S.N.

1996-01-01

A 2 kW Nd:YAG laser system manufactured by the Lumonics Corporation will be used to cut various metals during the fall of 1996 as part of a United States Department of Energy (DOE)-funded technology demonstration at the Hanford Site. The laser cutting demonstration will focus on an evaluation of two issues as the technology applies to the decontamination and decommissioning (D ampersand D) of aging nuclear facilities. An assessment will be made as to the ability of laser end effectors to be operated using electromechanical remote manipulators and the ability of both end effector and fiber optics to withstand the damage created by a high radiation field. The laser cutting demonstration will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will be a non-radioactive test to ensure the ability of hot cell remote manipulators to use the laser end effector to successfully cut the types of materials and geometries found in the hot cell. The second phase will introduce the laser end effector and the associated fiber optic cable into the hot cell radiation environment. The testing in the hot cell will investigate the degradation of the optical portions of the end effector and transmission cable in the high radiation field. The objective of the demonstration is to assess the cutting efficiency and life limitations of a laser cutting system for radioactive D ampersand D operations. A successful demonstration will, therefore, allow the laser cutting technology to be integrated into the baseline planning for the D ampersand D of DOE facilities throughout the nation

Remote Laser Cutting of CFRP: Improvements in the Cut Surface

Science.gov (United States)

Stock, Johannes; Zaeh, Michael F.; Conrad, Markus

In the automotive industry carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) are considered as a future key material to reduce the weight of the vehicle. Therefore, capable production techniques are required to process this material in mass industry. E.g., state of the art methods for cutting are limited by the high tool wear or the feasible feed rate. Laser cutting processes are still under investigation. This paper presents detailed new studies on remote laser cutting of CFRP focusing on the influence of the material properties and the quality of the cut surface. By adding light absorbing soot particles to the resin of the matrix, the cutting process is improved and fewer defects emerge.

Determination of laser cutting process conditions using the preference selection index method

Science.gov (United States)

Madić, Miloš; Antucheviciene, Jurgita; Radovanović, Miroslav; Petković, Dušan

2017-03-01

Determination of adequate parameter settings for improvement of multiple quality and productivity characteristics at the same time is of great practical importance in laser cutting. This paper discusses the application of the preference selection index (PSI) method for discrete optimization of the CO2 laser cutting of stainless steel. The main motivation for application of the PSI method is that it represents an almost unexplored multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method, and moreover, this method does not require assessment of the considered criteria relative significances. After reviewing and comparing the existing approaches for determination of laser cutting parameter settings, the application of the PSI method was explained in detail. Experiment realization was conducted by using Taguchi's L27 orthogonal array. Roughness of the cut surface, heat affected zone (HAZ), kerf width and material removal rate (MRR) were considered as optimization criteria. The proposed methodology is found to be very useful in real manufacturing environment since it involves simple calculations which are easy to understand and implement. However, while applying the PSI method it was observed that it can not be useful in situations where there exist a large number of alternatives which have attribute values (performances) very close to those which are preferred.

Structural, electrical and magnetic studies of Co:SnO{sub 2} and (Co,Mo):SnO{sub 2} films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dalui, S., E-mail: ssdalui@fc.ul.pt [University of Lisbon, Physics Dept. and ICEMS, 1749-016 Lisboa (Portugal); Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa and ICEMS, 1959-007 Lisboa (Portugal); Rout, S. [University of Lisbon, Physics Dept. and ICEMS, 1749-016 Lisboa (Portugal); Silvestre, A.J. [Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa and ICEMS, 1959-007 Lisboa (Portugal); Lavareda, G. [New University of Lisbon, Mater. Sci. Dept. and CTS, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Pereira, L.C.J. [Instituto Superior Técnico, ITN and CFMCUL, 2686-953 Sacavém (Portugal); Brogueira, P. [Instituto Superior Técnico, Physics Dept. and ICEMS, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Conde, O. [University of Lisbon, Physics Dept. and ICEMS, 1749-016 Lisboa (Portugal)

2013-08-01

Here we report on the structural, optical, electrical and magnetic properties of Co-doped and (Co,Mo)-codoped SnO{sub 2} thin films deposited on r-cut sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Substrate temperature during deposition was kept at 500 °C. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the undoped and doped films are crystalline with predominant orientation along the [1 0 1] direction regardless of the doping concentration and doping element. Optical studies revealed that the presence of Mo reverts the blue shift trend observed for the Co-doped films. For the Co and Mo doping concentrations studied, the incorporation of Mo did not contribute to increase the conductivity of the films or to enhance the ferromagnetic order of the Co-doped films.

An investigation of laser cutting quality of 22MnB5 ultra high strength steel using response surface methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Tahir, Abdul Fattah Mohd; Aqida, Syarifah Nur

2017-07-01

In hot press forming, changes of mechanical properties in boron steel blanks have been a setback in trimming the final shape components. This paper presents investigation of kerf width and heat affected zone (HAZ) of ultra high strength 22MnB5 steel cutting. Sample cutting was conducted using a 4 kW Carbon Dioxide (CO2) laser machine with 10.6 μm wavelength with the laser spot size of 0.2 mm. A response surface methodology (RSM) using three level Box-Behnken design of experiment was developed with three factors of peak power, cutting speed and duty cycle. The parameters were optimised for minimum kerf width and HAZ formation. Optical evaluation using MITUTOYO TM 505 were conducted to measure the kerf width and HAZ region. From the findings, laser duty cycle was crucial to determine cutting quality of ultra-high strength steel; followed by cutting speed and laser power. Meanwhile, low power intensity with continuous wave contributes the narrowest kerf width formation and least HAZ region.

Investigation of scleral buckling by CO{sub 2} laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maswadi, S

2001-05-01

This thesis investigates the effect of using the infrared wavelength CO{sub 2} laser (10.6{mu}m) as a localised heat source for inducing scleral buckling on eyes. Retinal detachment disease is a major cause of blindness and the scleral buckling is an important technique used in treatment. A radio-frequency excited 10.6{lambda}m laser source is used to heat collagen in the sclera above its shrinkage temperature so as to produce a localised indentation and deformation in the human eye (in vitro). Basic measurements of the onset shrinkage temperatures of porcine and human sclera are taken. Optical properties of sclera tissue at 10.6{mu}m are also determined to provide information about the interaction of the CO{sub 2} laser with the sclera. It is found that CO{sub 2} laser radiation is highly absorbed by the scleral water. Optical diffraction technique is investigated to quantify in-plane deformation in the sclera tissue as result of heating by producing grating on porcine and human sclera using the ArF laser (193nm). Photothermal deflection technique is also used to investigate scleral ablation by using the TEA and Ultrapulse CO{sub 2} laser. This technique provides a useful guide to the regime where ablation rather than heat shrinkage of collagen in the sclera will dominate using the Ultrapulse CO{sub 2} laser. A quantitative assessment of buckling using the technique of projection moire interferometry is described which allows a non-contact measurement to be made of the out-of-plane displacement by laser radiation. In-plane surface strain (shrinkage) has also been demonstrated using in-situ optical microscopy of the laser treated eye. The moire method is suitable to obtain information on buckling in real time and to obtain a three-dimensional view of the eye surface as laser treatment proceeds. A theoretical heat flow model is described for predicting the temperature profile produced in the sclera using the Ultrapulse CO{sub 2} laser. For appropriate exposure

Automated Laser Cutting In Three Dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Bird, Lisa T.; Yvanovich, Mark A.; Angell, Terry R.; Bishop, Patricia J.; Dai, Weimin; Dobbs, Robert D.; He, Mingli; Minardi, Antonio; Shelton, Bret A.

1995-01-01

Computer-controlled machine-tool system uses laser beam assisted by directed flow of air to cut refractory materials into complex three-dimensional shapes. Velocity, position, and angle of cut varied. In original application, materials in question were thermally insulating thick blankets and tiles used on space shuttle. System shapes tile to concave or convex contours and cuts beveled edges on blanket, without cutting through outer layer of quartz fabric part of blanket. For safety, system entirely enclosed to prevent escape of laser energy. No dust generated during cutting operation - all material vaporized; larger solid chips dislodged from workpiece easily removed later.

Development of laser cutting method for stainless steel liner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishihara, Satoshi; Takahata, Masato; Wignarajah, Sivakumaran; Kamata, Hirofumi

2007-01-01

The present work is an attempt to develop a laser cutting method for cutting and removing stainless steel liners from concrete walls and floors in nuclear facilities. The effect of basic laser cutting parameters such as energy, cutting speed, assist gas flow etc. were first studied through cutting experiments on mock-up concrete specimens lined with 3mm thick stainless steel sheets using a 1kW Nd:YAG laser. These initial studies were followed by further studies on the effect of unevenness of the liner surface and on a new method of confining contamination during the cutting process using a sliding evacuation hood attached to the laser cutting head. The results showed that laser cutting is superior to other conventional cutting methods from the point of view of safety from radioactivity and work efficiency when cutting contaminated stainless steel liners. (author)

Controlling chaotic behavior in CO2 and other lasers

Science.gov (United States)

1993-06-01

Additional substantial experimental progress has been made, in the third month of the project, in setting up equipment and testing for producing chaotic behavior with a CO2 laser. The project goal is to synchronize and control chaos in CO2 and other lasers, and thereby increase the power in ensembles of coupled laser sources. Numerous investigations into the chaos regime have been made, a second CO2 laser has been brought on stream, and work is progressing in the fourth month toward coupling the two lasers and control of the first laser. It is also intended to submit at least two papers to the Second Experimental Chaos Conference which is supported by the Office of Naval Research. Abstracts to those two papers are attached. Last month's report discussed the experimental investigation of nonlinear dynamics of CO2 lasers which involved a new technique of inducing chaos. In this new technique, an acoustically modulated feedback of the laser light was used and led to chaotic dynamics at a very low modulation frequency of 375 Hz. Since then, new results have been obtained by an Electro-Optical Modulation (EOM) technique. In the new setup, the electro-optical modulator is placed in an external cavity outside the laser.

Optimisation Of Cutting Parameters Of Composite Material Laser Cutting Process By Taguchi Method

Science.gov (United States)

Lokesh, S.; Niresh, J.; Neelakrishnan, S.; Rahul, S. P. Deepak

2018-03-01

The aim of this work is to develop a laser cutting process model that can predict the relationship between the process input parameters and resultant surface roughness, kerf width characteristics. The research conduct is based on the Design of Experiment (DOE) analysis. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is used in this work. It is one of the most practical and most effective techniques to develop a process model. Even though RSM has been used for the optimization of the laser process, this research investigates laser cutting of materials like Composite wood (veneer)to be best circumstances of laser cutting using RSM process. The input parameters evaluated are focal length, power supply and cutting speed, the output responses being kerf width, surface roughness, temperature. To efficiently optimize and customize the kerf width and surface roughness characteristics, a machine laser cutting process model using Taguchi L9 orthogonal methodology was proposed.

Harmonic scalpel versus flexible CO2 laser for tongue resection: A histopathological analysis of thermal damage in human cadavers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wolf Tamir

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Monopolar cautery is the most commonly used surgical cutting and hemostatic tool for head and neck surgery. There are newer technologies that are being utilized with the goal of precise cutting, decreasing blood loss, reducing thermal damage, and allowing faster wound healing. Our study compares thermal damage caused by Harmonic scalpel and CO2 laser to cadaveric tongue. Methods Two fresh human cadaver heads were enrolled for the study. Oral tongue was exposed and incisions were made in the tongue akin to a tongue tumor resection using the harmonic scalpel and flexible C02 laser fiber at various settings recommended for surgery. The margins of resection were sampled, labeled, and sent for pathological analysis to assess depth of thermal damage calculated in millimeters. The pathologist was blinded to the surgical tool used. Control tongue tissue was also sent for comparison as a baseline for comparison. Results Three tongue samples were studied to assess depth of thermal damage by harmonic scalpel. The mean depth of thermal damage was 0.69 (range, 0.51 - 0.82. Five tongue samples were studied to assess depth of thermal damage by CO2 laser. The mean depth of thermal damage was 0.3 (range, 0.22 to 0.43. As expected, control samples showed 0 mm of thermal damage. There was a statistically significant difference between the depth of thermal injury to tongue resection margins by harmonic scalpel as compared to CO2 laser, (p = 0.003. Conclusion In a cadaveric model, flexible CO2 laser fiber causes less depth of thermal damage when compared with harmonic scalpel at settings utilized in our study. However, the relevance of this information in terms of wound healing, hemostasis, safety, cost-effectiveness, and surgical outcomes needs to be further studied in clinical settings.

Evaluation of laser cutting process with auxiliary gas pressure by soft computing approach

Science.gov (United States)

Lazov, Lyubomir; Nikolić, Vlastimir; Jovic, Srdjan; Milovančević, Miloš; Deneva, Heristina; Teirumenieka, Erika; Arsic, Nebojsa

2018-06-01

Evaluation of the optimal laser cutting parameters is very important for the high cut quality. This is highly nonlinear process with different parameters which is the main challenge in the optimization process. Data mining methodology is one of most versatile method which can be used laser cutting process optimization. Support vector regression (SVR) procedure is implemented since it is a versatile and robust technique for very nonlinear data regression. The goal in this study was to determine the optimal laser cutting parameters to ensure robust condition for minimization of average surface roughness. Three cutting parameters, the cutting speed, the laser power, and the assist gas pressure, were used in the investigation. As a laser type TruLaser 1030 technological system was used. Nitrogen as an assisted gas was used in the laser cutting process. As the data mining method, support vector regression procedure was used. Data mining prediction accuracy was very high according the coefficient (R2) of determination and root mean square error (RMSE): R2 = 0.9975 and RMSE = 0.0337. Therefore the data mining approach could be used effectively for determination of the optimal conditions of the laser cutting process.

Cutting of nonmetallic materials using Nd:YAG laser beam

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Bashir Ahmed Tahir; Rashid Ahmed; M. G. B. Ashiq; Afaq Ahmed; M. A. Saeed

2012-01-01

This study deals with Nd:YAG laser cutting nonmetallic materials,which is one of the most important and popular industrial applications of laser.The main theme is to evaluate the effects of Nd:YAG laser beam power besides work piece scanning speed.For approximate cutting depth,a theoretical study is conducted in terms of material property and cutting speed.Results show a nonlinear relation between the cutting depth and input energy.There is no significant effect of speed on cutting depth with the speed being larger than 30 mm/s.An extra energy is utilized in the deep cutting.It is inferred that as the laser power increases,cutting depth increases.The experimental outcomes are in good agreement with theoretical results.This analysis will provide a guideline for laser-based industry to select a suitable laser for cutting,scribing,trimming,engraving,and marking nonmetallic materials.

Femtosecond laser ablation and cutting technology on PMP foam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Chengwei; Li Guo; Huang Yanhua; Du Kai; Yang Liang

2013-01-01

The femtosecond laser ablation results of PMP foam (density of 90 mg/cm 3 ) were analyzed. The laser pulses used for the study were 800 nm in wavelength, 50 fs in pulse duration and the repetition rate was 1000 Hz. The ablation threshold of the foam was 0.91 J/cm 2 when it was shot by 100 laser pulses. The impacts of laser power, the pulse number and the numerical aperture of the focusing objective on the crater diameter were obtained. In the same femtosecond laser machining system, comparing with the ablation shape into copper foil, the important factor causing the irregular shape of the ablation region was verified that there were many different sizes and randomly distributed pores inside PMP foam. The carbonation phenomenon was observed on the edge of the ablated areas when the sample was ablated using high laser power or/and more laser pulses. Thermal effect was considered to be the causes of the carbonation. A new method based on coupling laser beam to cut thickness greater than 1 mm film-foam with femtosecond laser was proposed. Using this method, the femtosecond laser cutting thickness was greater than 1.5 mm, the angle between the cutting side wall and the laser beam optical axis might be less than 5°, and the cutting surface was clean. (authors)

Factors influencing laser cutting of wood

Science.gov (United States)

V.G. Barnekov; C.W. McMillin; H.A. Huber

1986-01-01

Factors influencing the ability of lasers to cut wood may be generally classified into these three areas: 1) characteristics of the laser beam; 2) equipment and processing variables; and 3) properties of the workpiece. Effects of beam power, mode, polarization, and stability are discussed as are aspects of optics, location of focal point, feed speed, gas-jet assist...

Striation-free fibre laser cutting of mild steel sheets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sobih, M.; Crouse, P.L.; Li, L. [University of Manchester, Laser Processing Research Centre, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, Sackville Street Building, P.O. Box 88, Manchester (United Kingdom)

2008-01-15

High-power laser cutting is extensively used in many industrial applications. An important weakness of this process is the formation of striations, i.e. regular lines on the cut surface, which lowers the quality of the surfaces produced. The elimination of striation formation is thus of considerable importance, since it could open a variety of novel high-precision applications. This study presents the initial results of a laser cutting study using a 1 kW single-mode fibre laser, a relative newcomer in the field of laser metal cutting. Striation-free laser cuts are demonstrated when cutting 1 mm thick mild steel sheets. (orig.)

Gain measurements in CO2 CW low pressure lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigues, N.A.S.; Chanes Junior, J.B.; Jayaram, K.

1983-01-01

A series of gain measurements in low pressure CO 2 CW laser were performed in order to study the behaviour of a CO 2 laser ampliflier as a function of pressure and discharge current. A theoretical model, based on rate equations is also presented to describe the laser behaviour and the experimental procedure adopted. (C.L.B.) [pt

Development of longitudinally excited CO2 laser

Science.gov (United States)

Masroon, N. S.; Tanaka, M.; Tei, M.; Uno, K.; Tsuyama, M.; Nakano, H.

2018-05-01

Simple, compact, and affordable discharged-pumped CO2 laser controlled by a fast high voltage solid state switch has been developed. In this study, longitudinal excitation scheme has been adapted for simple configuration. In the longitudinal excitation scheme, the discharge is produced along the direction of the laser axis, and the electrodes are well separated with a small discharge cross-section. Triggered spark gap switch is usually used to switch out the high voltage because of simple and low cost. However, the triggered spark gap operates in the arc mode and suffer from recovery problem causing a short life time and low efficiency for high repetition rate operation. As a result, there is now considerable interest in replacing triggered spark gap switch with solid state switches. Solid state switches have significant advantages compared to triggered spark gap switch which include longer service lifetime, low cost and stable high trigger pulse. We have developed simple and low cost fast high voltage solid state switch that consists of series connected-MOSFETs. It has been installed to the longitudinally excited CO2 laser to realize the gap switch less operation. Characteristics of laser oscillation by varying the discharge length, charging voltage, capacitance and gas pressure have been evaluated. Longer discharge length produce high power of laser oscillation. Optimum charging voltage and gas pressure were existed for longitudinally excited CO2 laser.

CO2 and diode laser welding of AZ31 magnesium alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Jinhong; Li Lin; Liu Zhu

2005-01-01

Magnesium alloys are being increasingly used in automotive and aerospace structures. Laser welding is an important joining method in such applications. There are several kinds of industrial lasers available at present, including the conventional CO 2 and Nd:YAG lasers as well as recently available high power diode lasers. A 1.5 kW diode laser and a 2 kW CO 2 laser are used in the present study for the welding of AZ31 alloys. It is found that different welding modes exist, i.e., keyhole welding with the CO 2 laser and conduction welding with both the CO 2 and the diode lasers. This paper characterizes welds in both welding modes. The effect of beam spot size on the weld quality is analyzed. The laser processing parameters are optimized to obtain welds with minimum defects

CO2 Laser-Based Rapid Prototyping of Micropumps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zachary Strike

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The fabrication of microdevices for fluidic control often requires the use of flexible diaphragms in a way that requires cleanroom equipment and compromises performance. We use a CO 2 laser to perform the standard ablative techniques of cutting and engraving materials, but we also apply a method that we call laser placement. This allows us to fabricate precisely-positioned and precisely-sized, isolated diaphragms. This in turn enables the rapid prototyping of integrated multilayer microfluidic devices to form complex structures without the need for manual positioning or cleanroom equipment. The fabrication process is also remarkably rapid and capable of being scaled to manufacturing levels of production. We explore the use of these devices to construct a compact system of peristaltic pumps that can form water in oil droplets without the use of the non-pulsatile pumping systems typically required. Many devices can be fabricated at a time on a sheet by sheet basis with a fabrication process that, to our knowledge, is the fastest reported to date for devices of this type (requiring only 3 h. Moreover, this system is unusually compact and self-contained.

Cutting of nonmetallic materials using Nd:YAG laser beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tahir, Bashir Ahmed; Ashiq, M.G. B.; Saeed, M.A.; Ahmed, Rashid; Ahmed, Afaq

2012-01-01

This study deals with Nd:YAG laser cutting nonmetallic materials, which is one of the most important and popular industrial applications of laser. The main theme is to evaluate the effects of Nd:YAG laser beam power besides work piece scanning speed. For approximate cutting depth, a theoretical study is conducted in terms of material property and cutting speed. Results show a nonlinear relation between the cutting depth and input energy. There is no significant effect of speed on cutting depth with the speed being larger than 30 mm/s. An extra energy is utilized in the deep cutting. It is inferred that as the laser power increases, cutting depth increases. The experimental outcomes are in good agreement with theoretical results. This analysis will provide a guideline for laser-based industry to select a suitable laser for cutting, scribing, trimming, engraving, and marking nonmetallic materials. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Pulsed CH3OH terahertz laser radiation pumped by 9P(36) CO2 lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiu Zhixian; Zuo Duluo; Miao Liang; Cheng Zuhai

2011-01-01

An efficient pulsed CH 3 OH terahertz (THz) laser pumped by a TEA CO 2 laser was investigated experimentally. A simple terahertz cavity and a TEA CO 2 laser for the optically pumped THz radiation were studied experimentally. To improve THz laser energy and photon conversion efficiency, two different TEA CO 2 lasers were developed to pump CH 3 OH. When CH 3 OH was pumped by the 9P(36) line with different powers of the CO 2 laser, the generation of terahertz radiation with energy as high as 0.307mJ and 23.75mJ were obtained, respectively. The corresponding photon conversion efficiencies were 0.29% and 2.4%. The photon conversion efficiency increases by a factor of about 8. Meanwhile, higher peak power of pump laser effectively improves the photon conversion efficiency. And the optimum THz laser pressure increases with narrower pulse width of pump laser because of increasing absorptive gases molecules of CH 3 OH with higher peak power of pump laser.

High speed laser cutting machine. Kosoku reza kakoki

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shinno, N. (Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., Kadoma, Osaka (Japan))

1993-11-01

The carbon dioxide gas laser cutting machine is being used widely for from cutting soft steel and stainless steel, etc. to intermetallic welding and in the field of cutting in particular, concerning sheet cutting, it has been changing the existing monopoly of the turret punch press, and as for medium and thick plate cutting, that of the gas plasma fusing device. This article is the general description of high speed laser cutting machine. Concerning the laser cutting (sheet cutting in particular), as the essential items for securing severe cutting accuracy and, at the same time, improving the cutting speed, the following matters are picked up for respective explanation; improvement of stationary machine accuracy, improvement of dynamic machine accuracy, improvement of quality of laser beam as well as optimization of cutting conditions, and shortening of piercing time. Also explanation is given to the respective items, namely speeding-up of medium and thick plate cutting, and reduction of load onto the operator by improved operation. Finally, feeding and removing of a sheet only, and feeding and removing with a pallet are mentioned as the efforts for automation and energy saving. 3 figs., 1 tab.

Flexible CO2 laser and submucosal gel injection for safe endoluminal resection in the intestines.

Science.gov (United States)

Au, Joyce T; Mittra, Arjun; Wong, Joyce; Carpenter, Susanne; Carson, Joshua; Haddad, Dana; Monette, Sebastien; Ezell, Paula; Patel, Snehal; Fong, Yuman

2012-01-01

The CO(2) laser's unique wavelength of 10.6 μm has the advantage of being readily absorbed by water but historically limited it to line-of-sight procedures. Through recent technological advances, a flexible CO(2) laser fiber has been developed and holds promise for endoluminal surgery. We examined whether this laser, along with injection of a water-based gel in the submucosal space, will allow safe dissection of the intestines and enhance the potential of this tool for minimally invasive surgery. Using an ex vivo model with porcine intestines, spot ablation was performed with the flexible CO(2) laser at different power settings until transmural perforation. Additionally, excisions of mucosal patches were performed by submucosal dissection with and without submucosal injection of a water-based gel. With spot ablation at 5 W, none of the specimens was perforated by 5 min, which was the maximum recorded time. The time to perforation was significantly shorter with increased laser power, and gel pretreatment protected the intestines against spot ablation, increasing the time to perforation from 6 to 37 s at 10 W and from 1 to 7 s at 15 W. During excision of mucosal patches, 56 and 83% of untreated intestines perforated at 5 and 10 W, respectively. Gel pretreatment prior to excision protected all intestines against perforation. These specimens were verified to be intact by inflation with air to over 100 mmHg. Furthermore, excision of the mucosal patch was complete in gel-pretreated specimens, whereas 22% of untreated specimens had residual islands of mucosa after excision. The flexible CO(2) laser holds promise as a precise dissection and cutting tool for endoluminal surgery of the intestines. Pretreatment with a submucosal injection of a water-based gel protects the intestines from perforation during ablation and mucosal dissection.

PULSED MODE LASER CUTTING OF SHEETS FOR TAILORED BLANKS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bagger, Claus; Olsen, Flemming Ove

1999-01-01

This paper describes how the laser cutting process can be optimised in such a way that the cut sheets can subsequently be used to laser weld tailored blanks. In a number of systematic laboratory experiments the effect of cutting speed, assist gas pressure, average laser power and pulse energy...... item for parameter optimisation of laser cut sheets used for tailored blanks. It was concluded that high quality cut edges with a squareness as small as 0.015 mm may be obtained. Such edges are well suited for subsequent laser welding....... was analysed. For quality assessment the squareness, roughness and dross attachment of laser cut blanks were measured. In all tests, the medium strength steel GA 260 with a thickness of 1.8 mm was used. In this work it has been successfully demonstrated that the squareness of a cut can be used as a quality...

Selection of parameters on laser cutting mild steel plates taking account of some manufacturing purposes

Science.gov (United States)

Asano, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Jippei; Kawakami, Hiroshi; Eguchi, Hiroshi

2003-11-01

There are large number of processing conditions which can be set for laser-cutting of plate materials, because importance of the objective for the cutting is different from product to product. This study aims to build a system which can set the processing conditions reasonably and efficiently. From plural processing objectives, roughness of cutting surface was taken up from among the required qualities, such as processing speed, circularity of a processed hole, height of dross on the rear side, roughness of cutting surfaces, accuracy of shapes and dimensions, and with of burning, to review the effects of the processing condition on the cutting surface including the drag line gap. In our experiments, a 1 kW CO2 gas laser machine was used to make laser-cutting samples and 389 combinations of samples were used. From the results of the experiments, the range of processing conditions which allow cutting is defined by the energy input per unit area HIA = 4.8 [J/mm2]. The values of roughness of the cutting surface on both front and rear sides of the plates can be reduced if the cutting speed is 1000 mm/min or higher, and they little change at small values if the heat input per unit area is within a range under 20 J/mm2. In a range of thin plate thickness, the drag gap on cutting surfaces can be evaluated by the heat input per unit area. In the case of thicker plate, the greater the duty is, the smaller the drag gap is, if the heat input per units area is kept unchanged. Cutting with small heat input is desirable for better roughness of cutting surface. Cutting with large heat input is required for better drag gap. In the scope of our study, a value 20 J/mm2 of heat input per unit area is recommended for laer-cutting of 0.8 - 4.5 mm thick mild steel plates.

Descriptive Analysis of In Vitro Cutting of Swine Mitral Cusps: Comparison of High-Power Laser and Scalpel Blade Cutting Techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto, Nathali Cordeiro; Pomerantzeff, Pablo Maria Alberto; Deana, Alessandro; Zezell, Denise; Benetti, Carolina; Aiello, Vera Demarchi; Lopes, Luciana Almeida; Jatene, Fabio Biscegli; Chavantes, M Cristina

2017-02-01

The most common injury to the heart valve with rheumatic involvement is mitral stenosis, which is the reason for a big number of cardiac operations in Brazil. Commissurotomy is the traditional technique that is still widely used for this condition, although late postoperative restenosis is concerning. This study's purpose was to compare the histological findings of porcine cusp mitral valves treated in vitro with commissurotomy with a scalpel blade to those treated with high-power laser (HPL) cutting, using appropriate staining techniques. Five mitral valves from healthy swine were randomly divided into two groups: Cusp group (G1), cut with a scalpel blade (n = 5), and Cusp group (G2), cut with a laser (n = 5). G2 cusps were treated using a diode laser (λ = 980 nm, power = 9.0 W, time = 12 sec, irradiance = 5625 W/cm 2 , and energy = 108 J). In G1, no histological change was observed in tissue. A hyaline basophilic aspect was focally observed in G2, along with a dark red color on the edges and areas of lower birefringence, when stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Masson's trichrome, and Sirius red. Further, the mean distances from the cutting edge in cusps submitted to laser application and stained with Masson's trichrome and Sirius red were 416.7 and 778.6 μm, respectively, never overcoming 1 mm in length. Thermal changes were unique in the group submitted to HPL and not observed in the cusp group cut with a scalpel blade. The mean distance of the cusps' collagen injury from the cutting edge was less than 1 mm with laser treatment. Additional studies are needed to establish the histological evolution of the laser cutting and to answer whether laser cutting may avoid valvular restenosis better than blade cutting.

Innovations: laser-cutting nickel-titanium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dickson, T.R.; Moore, B.; Toyama, N. [LPL Systems, Inc., Mountain View, CA (United States)

2002-07-01

Laser-cutting is well established as the preferred method for manufacturing many endovascular medical devices. Sometimes laser processing has been poorly understood by nickel-titanium (NiTi) material suppliers, medical device manufacturers, and device designers, but the field has made important strides in the past several years. A variety of sample, nonspecific applications are presented for cutting tubing and sheet stock. Limiting constraints, key considerations, and areas for future development are identified. (orig.)

Laser cutting of various materials: Kerf width size analysis and life cycle assessment of cutting process

Science.gov (United States)

Yilbas, Bekir Sami; Shaukat, Mian Mobeen; Ashraf, Farhan

2017-08-01

Laser cutting of various materials including Ti-6Al-4V alloy, steel 304, Inconel 625, and alumina is carried out to assess the kerf width size variation along the cut section. The life cycle assessment is carried out to determine the environmental impact of the laser cutting in terms of the material waste during the cutting process. The kerf width size is formulated and predicted using the lump parameter analysis and it is measured from the experiments. The influence of laser output power and laser cutting speed on the kerf width size variation is analyzed using the analytical tools including scanning electron and optical microscopes. In the experiments, high pressure nitrogen assisting gas is used to prevent oxidation reactions in the cutting section. It is found that the kerf width size predicted from the lump parameter analysis agrees well with the experimental data. The kerf width size variation increases with increasing laser output power. However, this behavior reverses with increasing laser cutting speed. The life cycle assessment reveals that material selection for laser cutting is critical for the environmental protection point of view. Inconel 625 contributes the most to the environmental damages; however, recycling of the waste of the laser cutting reduces this contribution.

High-power CO laser and its potential applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Shunichi; Takahashi, Kunimitsu; Shimamoto, Kojiro; Takashima, Yoichi; Matsuda, Keiichi; Kuribayashi, Shizuma; Noda, Osamu; Imatake, Shigenori; Kondo, Motoe.

1995-01-01

The R and D program for the development of a high-power CO laser and its application technologies is described. Based on a self-sustained discharge excitation scheme, the available laser output has been successfully scaled to over 20 kW. The CO laser cutting experiments for thick metals have been performed in association with the decommissioning technologies development. Other potential applications, which include those based on photo chemical process, are reviewed. Recently demonstrated high-power tunable operation and room-temperature operation are also reported. (author)

Craterlike structures on the laser cut surface

Science.gov (United States)

Shulyatyev, V. B.; Orishich, A. M.

2017-10-01

Analysis of the laser cut surface morphology remain topical. It is related with the fact that the surface roughness is the main index of the cut quality. The present paper deals with the experimental study of the relatively unstudied type of defects on the laser cut surface, dimples, or craters. According to the measurement results, amount of craters per unit of the laser cut surface area rises as the sheet thickness rises. The crater diameter rises together with the sheet thickness and distance from the upper sheet edge. The obtained data permit concluding that the defects like craters are observed predominantly in the case of thick sheets. The results agree with the hypothesis of crater formation as impact structures resulting from the melt drops getting on the cut channel walls upon separation from the cut front by the gas flow.

Development of YAG laser cutting system for decommissioning nuclear equipments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasai, Takeshi; Nitta, Kazuhiko; Hosoda, Hiroshi.

1995-01-01

Technology of remote controlled cutting and reduction of generative secondary products have been required to the cutting system for decommissioning nuclear equipments. At a point of view that laser cutting technology by use of a Nd:YAG laser is effective, we have developed the laser cutting machine and carried out cutting tests for several stainless steel plates. As a result, the stainless steel plate with a thickness of 22mm could be cut by using an optical fiber which can flexibly propagate laser power, and possibility of application of this laser cutting system to decommissioning nuclear equipments was verified. (author)

Development of YAG laser cutting system for decommissioning nuclear equipments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kasai, Takeshi [Fuji Electric Co. Research and Development Ltd., Yokosuka, Kanagawa (Japan); Nitta, Kazuhiko; Hosoda, Hiroshi

1995-07-01

Technology of remote controlled cutting and reduction of generative secondary products have been required to the cutting system for decommissioning nuclear equipments. At a point of view that laser cutting technology by use of a Nd:YAG laser is effective, we have developed the laser cutting machine and carried out cutting tests for several stainless steel plates. As a result, the stainless steel plate with a thickness of 22mm could be cut by using an optical fiber which can flexibly propagate laser power, and possibility of application of this laser cutting system to decommissioning nuclear equipments was verified. (author).

Long-lived CO/sub 2/ lasers with distributed heterogeneous catalysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Browne, P G; Smith, A L.S.

1974-12-11

In a sealed CO/sub 2/-N/sub 2/-He system with a clean discharge tube the degree of dissociation of the CO/sub 2/ is greater than 80 percent (with no hydrogen present), and laser action cannot be obtained. If Pt is distributed along the discharge tube walls as a discontinuous film it catalyses back-reactions reforming CO/sub 2/. The degree of dissociation is then less than 40 percent, and efficient laser action at 10.6 ..mu.. is obtained. Using such distributed heterogeneous catalysis, a CO/sub 2/-N/sub 2/-He-Xe laser has operated for more than 3000 h. In this system, both H/sub 2/ and D/sub 2/ are undesirable additives because they decrease the excitation rate of the upper laser level. (auth)

CO2 laser-induced bump formation and growth on polystyrene for multi-depth soft lithography molds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Huawei; Fan, Yiqiang; Conchouso, David; Foulds, Ian G

2012-01-01

This paper reports the process of creating bumps on the surface of polystyrene (PS) induced by a CO 2 laser at low powers. The paper also outlines the procedure for growing bumps induced by multiple laser scans on the aforementioned bumps. These bumps result from the net volume gain of the laser heat-affected zone on the PS rather than from a deposition process, and the expansion of the heat-affected zone on PS was verified by measuring the hardness change using nanoindentation. The bumps have a much smoother surface than microchannels fabricated with laser cutting; depending on the laser power, they have heights ranging from hundreds of nanometers to 42 µm. The laser scanning speed and scan times along with this technique offer a fast and low-cost alternative for fabricating molds for multi-depth PDMS microfluidic devices. (paper)

CO 2 lasers to destroy defiance of nanobacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jafar Kolahi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Nanobacteria are mysterious particles that have spurred one of the biggest controversies in modern microbiology. The apatite mineral around the nanobacteria serves as a primary defense shield against various chemicals and extremely harsh condition. It is combined with a very slow metabolism of nanobacteria. These two items would be the likely explanation for the sever resistance of nanobacteria. The Hypothesis: The CO 2 laser is a continuous wave gas laser and emits infrared light at 9,600-10,600 nm in an easily manipulated focused beam that is well absorbed by water and hydroxyapatite. Hence, it seems logical to postulate that CO 2 laser can be used successfully to destroy defensive external hydroxyapatite layer of nanobacteria. Evaluation of the Hypothesis: Main criticism with this hypothesis is differential radiation of nanobacteria. It is well known that CO 2 laser has high water absorption and consequently can cause unwanted damage to human host tissues.

Plasma Arc Augmented CO2 laser welding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bagger, Claus; Andersen, Mikkel; Frederiksen, Niels

2001-01-01

In order to reduce the hardness of laser beam welded 2.13 mm medium strength steel CMn 250, a plasma arc has been used simultaneously with a 2.6 kW CO2 laser source. In a number of systematic laboratory tests, the plasma arc current, plasma gas flow and distance to the laser source were varied...... with all laser parameters fixed. The welds were quality assessed and hardness measured transversely to the welding direction in the top, middle and root of the seam. In the seams welded by laser alone, hardness values between 275 and 304 HV1 were measured, about the double of the base material, 150 HV1...

Methods for Optimisation of the Laser Cutting Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dragsted, Birgitte

This thesis deals with the adaptation and implementation of various optimisation methods, in the field of experimental design, for the laser cutting process. The problem in optimising the laser cutting process has been defined and a structure for at Decision Support System (DSS......) for the optimisation of the laser cutting process has been suggested. The DSS consists of a database with the currently used and old parameter settings. Also one of the optimisation methods has been implemented in the DSS in order to facilitate the optimisation procedure for the laser operator. The Simplex Method has...... been adapted in two versions. A qualitative one, that by comparing the laser cut items optimise the process and a quantitative one that uses a weighted quality response in order to achieve a satisfactory quality and after that maximises the cutting speed thus increasing the productivity of the process...

Multiple-objective optimization in precision laser cutting of different thermoplastics

Science.gov (United States)

Tamrin, K. F.; Nukman, Y.; Choudhury, I. A.; Shirley, S.

2015-04-01

Thermoplastics are increasingly being used in biomedical, automotive and electronics industries due to their excellent physical and chemical properties. Due to the localized and non-contact process, use of lasers for cutting could result in precise cut with small heat-affected zone (HAZ). Precision laser cutting involving various materials is important in high-volume manufacturing processes to minimize operational cost, error reduction and improve product quality. This study uses grey relational analysis to determine a single optimized set of cutting parameters for three different thermoplastics. The set of the optimized processing parameters is determined based on the highest relational grade and was found at low laser power (200 W), high cutting speed (0.4 m/min) and low compressed air pressure (2.5 bar). The result matches with the objective set in the present study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is then carried out to ascertain the relative influence of process parameters on the cutting characteristics. It was found that the laser power has dominant effect on HAZ for all thermoplastics.

Effect of Process Parameter in Laser Cutting of PMMA Sheet and ANFIS Modelling for Online Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossain Anamul

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Laser beam machining (LBM is a promising and high accuracy machining technology in advanced manufacturing process. In LBM, crucial machining qualities of the end product include heat affected zone, surface roughness, kerf width, thermal stress, taper angle etc. It is essential for industrial applications especially in laser cutting of thermoplastics to acquire output product with minimum kerf width. The kerf width is dependent on laser input parameters such as laser power, cutting speed, standoff distance, assist gas pressure etc. However it is difficult to get a functional relationship due to the high uncertainty among these parameters. Hence, total 81 sets of full factorial experiment were conducted, representing four input parameters with three different levels. The experiments were performed by a continuous wave (CW CO2 laser with the mode structure of TEM01 named Zech laser machine that can provide maximum laser power up to 500 W. The polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA sheet with thickness of 3.0 mm was used for this experiment. Laser power, cutting speed, standoff distance and assist gas pressure were used as input parameters for the output named kerf width. Standoff distance, laser power, cutting speed and assist gas pressure have the dominant effect on kerf width, respectively, although assist gas has some significant effect to remove the harmful gas. ANFIS model has been developed for online control purposes. This research is considered important and helpful for manufacturing engineers in adjusting and decision making of the process parameters in laser manufacturing industry of PMMA thermoplastics with desired minimum kerf width as well as intricate shape design purposes.

Cutting and coagulation during intraoral soft tissue surgery using Er: YAG laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Onisor, I; Pecie, R; Chaskelis, I; Krejci, I

2013-06-01

To find the optimal techniques and parameters that enables Er:YAG laser to be used successfully for small intraoral soft tissue interventions, in respect to its cutting and coagulation abilities. In vitro pre-tests: 4 different Er:YAG laser units and one CO2 unit as the control were used for incision and coagulation on porcine lower jaws and optimal parameters were established for each type of intervention and each laser unit: energy, frequency, type, pulse duration and distance. 3 different types of intervention using Er:YAG units are presented: crown lengthening, gingivoplasty and maxillary labial frenectomy with parameters found in the in vitro pre-tests. The results showed a great decrease of the EMG activity of masseter and anterior temporalis muscles. Moreover, the height and width of the chewing cycles in the frontal plane increased after therapy. Er:YAG is able to provide good cutting and coagulation effects on soft tissues. Specific parameters have to be defined for each laser unit in order to obtain the desired effect. Reduced or absent water spray, defocused light beam, local anaesthesia and the most effective use of long pulses are methods to obtain optimal coagulation and bleeding control.

CALCULATION OF LASER CUTTING COSTS

OpenAIRE

Bogdan Nedic; Milan Eric; Marijana Aleksijevic

2016-01-01

The paper presents description methods of metal cutting and calculation of treatment costs based on model that is developed on Faculty of mechanical engineering in Kragujevac. Based on systematization and analysis of large number of calculation models of cutting with unconventional methods, mathematical model is derived, which is used for creating a software for calculation costs of metal cutting. Software solution enables resolving the problem of calculating the cost of laser cutting, compar...

Gluebond strength of laser cut wood

Science.gov (United States)

Charles W. McMillin; Henry A. Huber

1985-01-01

The degree of strength loss when gluing laser cut wood as compared to conventionally sawn wood and the amount of additional surface treatment needed to improve bond quality were assessed under normal furniture plant operating conditions. The strength of laser cut oak glued with polyvinyl acetate adhesive was reduced to 75 percent of sawn joints and gum was reduced 43...

High power laser downhole cutting tools and systems

Science.gov (United States)

Zediker, Mark S; Rinzler, Charles C; Faircloth, Brian O; Koblick, Yeshaya; Moxley, Joel F

2015-01-20

Downhole cutting systems, devices and methods for utilizing 10 kW or more laser energy transmitted deep into the earth with the suppression of associated nonlinear phenomena. Systems and devices for the laser cutting operations within a borehole in the earth. These systems and devices can deliver high power laser energy down a deep borehole, while maintaining the high power to perform cutting operations in such boreholes deep within the earth.

Modeling CO2 Laser Ablative Impulse with Polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinko, John E.; Phipps, Claude R.; Sasoh, Akihiro

2010-01-01

Laser ablation vaporization models have usually ignored the spatial dependence of the laser beam. Here, we consider effects from modeling using a Gaussian beam for both photochemical and photothermal conditions. The modeling results are compared to experimental and literature data for CO 2 laser ablation of the polymer polyoxymethylene under vacuum, and discussed in terms of the ablated mass areal density and momentum coupling coefficient. Extending the scope of discussion, laser ablative impulse generation research has lacked a cohesive strategy for linking the vaporization and plasma regimes. Existing models, mostly formulated for ultraviolet laser systems or metal targets, appear to be inappropriate or impractical for applications requiring CO 2 laser ablation of polymers. A recently proposed method for linking the vaporization and plasma regimes for analytical modeling is addressed here along with the implications of its use. Key control parameters are considered, along with the major propulsion parameters needed for laser ablation propulsion modeling.

Fractional CO2 laser treatment for vaginal laxity: A preclinical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Tae-Rin; Kim, Jong Hwan; Seok, Joon; Kim, Jae Min; Bak, Dong-Ho; Choi, Mi-Ji; Mun, Seok Kyun; Kim, Chan Woong; Ahn, Seungwon; Kim, Beom Joon

2018-05-07

Various studies have investigated treatment for vaginal laxity with microablative fractional carbon dioxide CO 2 laser in humans; however, this treatment has not yet been studied in an animal model. Herein, we evaluate the therapeutic effects of fractional CO 2 laser for tissue remodeling of vaginal mucosa using a porcine model, with the aim of improving vaginal laxity. The fractional CO 2 laser enables minimally invasive and non-incisional procedures. By precisely controlling the laser energy pulses, energy is sent to the vaginal canal and the introitus area to induce thermal denaturation and contraction of collagen. We examined the effects of fractional CO 2 laser on a porcine model via clinical observation and ultrasound measurement. Also, thermal lesions were histologically examined via hematoxylin-eosin staining, Masson's trichrome staining, and Elastica van Gieson staining and immunohistochemistry. The three treatment groups, which were determined according to the amount of laser-energy applied (60, 90, and 120 mJ), showed slight thermal denaturation in the vaginal mucosa, but no abnormal reactions, such as excessive hemorrhaging, vesicles, or erythema, were observed. Histologically, we also confirmed that the denatured lamina propria induced by fractional CO 2 laser was dose-dependently increased after laser treatment. The treatment groups also showed an increase in collagen and elastic fibers due to neocollagenesis and angiogenesis, and the vaginal walls became firmer and tighter because of increased capillary and vessel formation. Also, use of the fractional CO 2 laser increased HSP (heat shock protein) 70 and collagen type I synthesis. Our results show that microablative fractional CO 2 laser can produce remodeling of the vaginal connective tissue without causing damage to surrounding tissue, and the process of mucosa remodeling while under wound dressings enables collagen to increase and the vaginal wall to become thick and tightened. Lasers Surg. Med

Pulse propagation properties in high-power CO2 laser system for laser fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daido, H.; Inoue, M.; Fujita, H.; Matoba, M.; Nakai, S.

1981-01-01

The simulation results of nonlinear propagation properties in the CO 2 laser system using a simulation model of the SF 6 saturable absorbers and the CO 2 laser amplifiers agree well with the experimental results. The technical problems of the simultaneous irradiation of the multi-beams to a target are also discussed. (author)

Factors influencing laser cutting of wood

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barnekov, V. G.; McMillin, C. W.; Huber, H. A.

1986-07-01

Factors influencing the ability of lasers to cut wood may be generally classified into these three areas: 1) characteristics of the laser beam; 2) equipment and processing variables; and 3) properties of the work piece. Effects of beam power, mode, polarization, and stability are discussed as are aspects of optics, location of focal point, feed speed, gas-jet assist system and work piece thickness, density, and moisture content. (author)

CO2laser-induced bump formation and growth on polystyrene for multi-depth soft lithography molds

KAUST Repository

Li, Huawei

2012-10-19

This paper reports the process of creating bumps on the surface of polystyrene (PS) induced by a CO2laser at low powers. The paper also outlines the procedure for growing bumps induced by multiple laser scans on the aforementioned bumps. These bumps result from the net volume gain of the laser heat-affected zone on the PS rather than from a deposition process, and the expansion of the heat-affected zone on PS was verified by measuring the hardness change using nanoindentation. The bumps have a much smoother surface than microchannels fabricated with laser cutting; depending on the laser power, they have heights ranging from hundreds of nanometers to 42m. The laser scanning speed and scan times along with this technique offer a fast and low-cost alternative for fabricating molds for multi-depth PDMS microfluidic devices. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.

CO2 laser treatment of As-S chalcogenide thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andriesch, A.M.; Bertolotti, M.; Ferrari, A.; Popesku, A.A.

1990-01-01

The changes of the refractive index of As 2 S 3 and As 2 S 5 films deposited on glass substrates upon CO 2 laser irradiation have been studied. The possibility of writing with the CO 2 laser a waveguiding channel in As 2 S 3 is demonstrated

A comparative evaluation: Oral leukoplakia surgical management using diode laser, CO2 laser, and cryosurgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Natekar, Madhukar; Raghuveer, Hosahallli-Puttaiah; Rayapati, Dilip-Kumar; Shobha, Eshwara-Singh; Prashanth, Nagesh-Tavane; Rangan, Vinod; Panicker, Archana G

2017-06-01

The comparatively evaluate the three surgical treatment modalities namely cryosurgery, diode and CO2 laser surgery in terms of healing outcomes on the day of surgery, first and second week post operatively and recurrence at the end of 18 months was assessed. Thirty selected patients were divided randomly into three groups. Each group comprising of ten patients were subjected to one of the three modalities of treatment namely cryosurgery, diode laser or CO2 laser surgery for ablation of OL. Obtained data was analyzed using mainly using Chi-square and Anova tests. Study showed statistical significant differences (p > 0.05) for evaluation parameters like pain, edema and scar. The parameters like infection, recurrence, bleeding showed no statistical significance. Pain was significantly higher in CO2 laser surgery group as compared with diode laser group. There was no recurrence observed at the end of the 6 months follow up period in all the three study groups. Observations from the study highlights that all three surgical modalities used in this study were effective for treatment of OL, and the overall summation of the results of the study showed that laser therapy (CO2 and Diode) seems to offer better clinically significant results than cryotherapy. Key words: Oral premalignant lesion, leukoplakia, cryosurgery, CO2 laser surgery, diode laser surgery.

Highly efficient repetitively pulsed electric-discharge industrial CO2 laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osipov, V V; Ivanov, M G; Lisenkov, V V; Platonov, V V

2002-01-01

The results of investigations aimed at the development of a repetitively pulsed CO 2 laser with an active medium volume of 1000 cm 3 pumped by a combined discharge are generalised. It is shown that, at pump pulse durations of 200-500 μs the optimal characteristics are achieved at active-medium pressures of 60-100 Torr. In this case, the laser efficiency at the initial stage of its operation can reach 22% and; if the energy dissipated in the region of the cathode potential drop is neglected, the efficiency is 28%. After emission of 3x10 5 pulses, the laser efficiency falls to 12%. It has been found that adding CO with a relative concentration [CO]/[CO 2 ] ∼0.75 increases the input and output power by almost 50%. The lasing efficiency is then 10%-12%, and the service life of the laser is by more than 10 6 pulses with a power decrease of no more than 10%. Adding hydrogen up to a concentration [H 2 ]/[CO 2 ] ∼10 leads to an increase in the energy supplied to the gas due to a decrease in the rate of ionisation processes. However, the optimal ratio is [H 2 ]/[CO 2 ] ∼ 1, at which the output power increases by 15%. In a long-term operating mode, the laser power is 1 kW at a peak power of 10 kW and an efficiency of 12%. (lasers)

Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing for atrophic acne scars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hedelund, Lene; Haak, Christina Skovbølling; Togsverd-Bo, Katrine

2012-01-01

The treatment of acne scars with fractional CO(2) lasers is gaining increasing impact, but has so far not been compared side-by-side to untreated control skin.......The treatment of acne scars with fractional CO(2) lasers is gaining increasing impact, but has so far not been compared side-by-side to untreated control skin....

Approach to compact terawatt CO2 laser system for particle acceleration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pogorelsky, I.V.; Kimura, W.D.; Fisher, C.H.; Kannari, F.

1994-01-01

A compact table-top 20-GW 50-ps CO 2 laser system is in operation for strong-field physics studies at the ATF. We propose scaling up of the picosecond CO 2 laser to a terawatt peak power level to meet the requirements of advanced laser accelerators. Computer modeling shows that a relatively compact single-beam picosecond CO 2 laser system with a high-pressure x-ray picosecond amplifier of a 10-cm aperture is potentially scalable to the ∼1-TW peak power level

Efficient TEA CO2 laser based coating removal system

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Prinsloo, FJ

2007-04-01

Full Text Available stream_source_info Prinsloo_2007.pdf.txt stream_content_type text/plain stream_size 11617 Content-Encoding UTF-8 stream_name Prinsloo_2007.pdf.txt Content-Type text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Efficient TEA CO2 laser based... by keeping energy density below the damage threshold. The advantage of a pulsed TEA CO2 laser system is that a laser frequency and temporal profile can be chosen to maximize paint removal and concurrently minimize substrate damage. To achieve...

Cutting and machining energetic materials with a femtosecond laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roeske, Frank; Benterou, Jerry; Lee, Ronald; Roos, Edward [Energetic Materials Center, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P. O. Box 808, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States)

2003-04-01

A femtosecond (fs) laser has been used as a tool for solving many problems involving access, machining, disassembly, inspection and avoidance of undesirable hazardous waste streams in systems containing energetic materials. Because of the unique properties of the interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with matter, the femtosecond laser can be used to safely cut these energetic materials in a precise manner without creating an unacceptable waste stream. Many types of secondary high explosives (HE) and propellants have been cut with the laser for a variety of applications ranging from disassembly of aging conventional weapons (demilitarization), inspection of energetic components of aging systems to creating unique shapes of HE for purposes of initiation and detonation physics studies. Hundreds of samples of energetic materials have been cut with the fs laser without ignition and, in most cases, without changing the surface morphology of the cut surfaces. The laser has also been useful in cutting nonenergetic components in close proximity to energetic materials. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Test of remote control cutting equipment by Nd:YAG laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimizu, Akio [Fuji Electric Corp. Research and Development Ltd., Yokosuka, Kanagawa (Japan); Hosoda, Hiroshi

1997-11-01

Technology of remote controlled cutting and reduction of generative secondary products have been required to the cutting system for decommissioning nuclear equipments. At a point of view that laser cutting technology by use of a Nd:YAG laser is effective, we have developed the laser cutting machine and carried out cutting tests for several stainless steel plates. This report is described the result of experiment by test equipment, about element technology of remote controlled cutting nuclear equipments. (author)

Test of remote control cutting equipment by Nd:YAG laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Akio; Hosoda, Hiroshi.

1997-01-01

Technology of remote controlled cutting and reduction of generative secondary products have been required to the cutting system for decommissioning nuclear equipments. At a point of view that laser cutting technology by use of a Nd:YAG laser is effective, we have developed the laser cutting machine and carried out cutting tests for several stainless steel plates. This report is described the result of experiment by test equipment, about element technology of remote controlled cutting nuclear equipments. (author)

A cutting-edge solution for 1µm laser metal processing

Science.gov (United States)

Baumbach, N.; Kühl, P.; Karam, J.; Jonkers, J.; Villarreal-Saucedo, F.; Reyes, M.

2017-02-01

The recent 1μm-laser cutting market is dominated by fiber and disk lasers due to their excellent beam quality of below 4mm*mrad. Teradiode's 4kW direct diode laser source achieves similar beam quality while having a different beam shape and shorter wavelengths which are known for higher absorption rates at the inclined front of the cutting keyhole. Research projects, such as the HALO Project, have additionally shown that polarized radiation and beams with shapes different from the typical LG00 lead to improved cut quality for ferrous and non-ferrous metals. [1] Diode laser have the inherent property of not being sensitive to back reflection which brings advantages in cutting high-reflective materials. The II-VI HIGHYAG laser cutting head BIMO-FSC offers the unique feature of machine controlled and continuous adjustment of both the focus diameter and the focus position. This feature is proven to be beneficial for cutting and piercing with high speed and small hole diameters. In addition, the optics are designed for lowest focus shift. As a leading laser processing head manufacturer, II-VI HIGHYAG qualified its BIMO-FSC MZ (M=magnification, Z=focus position) cutting head for Teradiode's 4kW direct diode laser source to offer a cutting-edge solution for highpower laser cutting. Combining the magnification ability of the cutting head with this laser source, customers experience strong advantages in cutting metals in broad thickness ranges. Thicknesses up to 25mm mild steel can easily be cut with excellent edge quality. Furthermore, a new optical setup equivalent to an axicon with a variable axicon angle is demonstrated which generates variable sized ring spots. The setup provides new degrees of freedom to tailor the energy distribution for even higher productivity and quality.

The laser revolution in shipbuilding: laser welding and cutting at Blohm + Voss

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minsks, T. [Blohm und Voss GmbH, Hamburg (Germany). Laser Production Line

2000-12-01

Precision manufacturing in steel shipbuilding has gained significantly in importance in recent years as a means of raising productivity and thus enhancing competitiveness. Precision manufacturing means working to very narrow tolerances, minimizing assembly costs by eliminating the need for straightening and adjustment, reducing reworking requirements and shortening throughput times. Blohm+Voss GmbH is the world's first shipbuilding company to use laser technology as part of its precision manufacturing approach, combined with complex clamping techniques which render exact prepositioning and tack welding of components superfluous. Laser cutting makes it possible to cut large formats with virtually parallel cut edges and very narrow cutting gaps which - in conjunction with suitable clamping - allow laser welding without the use of fillers. With a smaller heat-affected zone, laser welding causes less part distortion than conventional methods. This makes it possible to use thinner sheets and sections and thus supports the very low-weight constructions required for the types of ship built by Blohm+Voss. By combining laser cutting and laser welding in a single production line, Blohm+Voss currently boasts the most advanced prefabrication facility in shipbuilding, capable of producing components up to 12 meters long and 4 meters wide. (orig.)

CO2 laser pulse shortening by laser ablation of a metal target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donnelly, T.; Mazoyer, M.; Lynch, A.; O'Sullivan, G.; O'Reilly, F.; Dunne, P.; Cummins, T.

2012-01-01

A repeatable and flexible technique for pulse shortening of laser pulses has been applied to transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) CO 2 laser pulses. The technique involves focusing the laser output onto a highly reflective metal target so that plasma is formed, which then operates as a shutter due to strong laser absorption and scattering. Precise control of the focused laser intensity allows for timing of the shutter so that different temporal portions of the pulse can be reflected from the target surface before plasma formation occurs. This type of shutter enables one to reduce the pulse duration down to ∼2 ns and to remove the low power, long duration tails that are present in TEA CO 2 pulses. The transmitted energy is reduced as the pulse duration is decreased but the reflected power is ∼10 MW for all pulse durations. A simple laser heating model verifies that the pulse shortening depends directly on the plasma formation time, which in turn is dependent on the applied laser intensity. It is envisaged that this plasma shutter will be used as a tool for pulse shaping in the search for laser pulse conditions to optimize conversion efficiency from laser energy to useable extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation for EUV source development.

Diffraction efficiency enhancement of femtosecond laser-engraved diffraction gratings due to CO2 laser polishing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hun-Kook; Jung, Deok; Sohn, Ik-Bu; Noh, Young-Chul; Lee, Yong-Tak; Kim, Jin-Tae; Ahsan, Shamim

2014-01-01

This research demonstrates laser-assisted fabrication of high-efficiency diffraction gratings in fused-silica glass samples. Initially, femtosecond laser pulses are used to engrave diffraction gratings on the glass surfaces. Then, these micro-patterned glass samples undergo CO 2 laser polishing process. unpolished diffraction gratings encoded in the glass samples show an overall diffraction efficiency of 18.1%. diffraction gratings imprinted on the glass samples and then polished four times by using a CO 2 laser beam attain a diffraction efficiency of 32.7%. We also investigate the diffraction patterns of the diffraction gratings encoded on fused-silica glass surfaces. The proposed CO 2 laser polishing technique shows great potential in patterning high-efficiency diffraction gratings on the surfaces of various transparent materials.

Laser plant "Iguana" for transmyocardial revascularization based on kW-level waveguide CO2 laser

Science.gov (United States)

Panchenko, Vladislav Y.; Bockeria, L. A.; Berishvili, I. I.; Vasiltsov, Victor V.; Golubev, Vladimir S.; Ul'yanov, Valery A.

2001-05-01

For many years the Institute on Laser and Information Technologies RAN has been developing a concept of high-power industrial CO2 lasers with diffusion cooling of the working medium. The paper gives a description of the laser medical system Iguana for transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMLR) as an example of various applications of high-power waveguide CO2 lasers. The clinical results of the TMLR method application in surgical treatment are presented. The methods of determination of the time, when the laser beam passes through the demarcation line between myocardium tissue and blood, are discussed.

Study on processing parameters of glass cutting by nanosecond 532 nm fiber laser

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jin; Gao, Fan; Xiong, Baoxing; Zhang, Xiang; Yuan, Xiao

2018-03-01

The processing parameters of soda-lime glass cutting with several nanosecond 532 nm pulsed fiber laser are studied in order to obtain sufficiently large ablation rate and better processing quality. The influences of laser processing parameters on effective cutting speed and cutting quality of 1 2 mm thick soda-lime glass are studied. The experimental results show that larger laser pulse energy will lead to higher effective cutting speed and larger maximum edge collapse of the front side of the glass samples. Compared with that of 1.1 mm thick glass samples, the 2.0 mm thick glass samples is more difficult to cut. With the pulse energy of 51.2 μJ, the maximum edge collapse is more than 200 μm for the 2.0 mm thick glass samples. In order to achieve the high effective cutting speed and good cutting quality at the same time, the dual energy overlapping method is used to obtain the better cutting performance for the 2.0 mm thick glass samples, and the cutting speed of 194 mm/s and the maximum edge collapse of less than 132 μm are realized.

Demonstration of Laser Cutting System for Tube Specimen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jin, Y. G.; Kim, G. S.; Heo, G. S.; Baik, S. J.; Kim, H. M.; Ahn, S. B. [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The oxide layer removal system was also developed because the oxide layer on the surface of the irradiated fuel cladding and components interrupted the applying the electric current during the processing. However, it was found that the mechanical testing data of the irradiated specimens with removal of oxide layer was less reliable than the specimens with oxide layer . The laser cutting system using Nd:YAG with fiber optic beam delivery has great potential in material processing applications of the irradiated fuel cladding and components due to non-contact process. Thus, the oxide layer doesn't interrupt the fabrication process during the laser cutting system. In the present study, the laser cutting system was designed to fabricate the mechanical testing specimens from the unirradiated fuel cladding with and without oxide. The feasibility of the laser cutting system was demonstrated for the fabrication of various types of unirradiated specimens. The effect of surface oxide layer was also investigated for machining process of the zirlo fuel cladding and it was found that laser beam machining could be a useful tool to fabricate the specimens with surface oxide layer. Based on the feasibility studies and demonstration, the design of the laser cutting machine for fully or partially automatic and remotely operable system will be proposed and made.

Progress Toward Measuring CO2 Isotopologue Fluxes in situ with the LLNL Miniature, Laser-based CO2 Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Osuna, J. L.; Bora, M.; Bond, T.

2015-12-01

One method to constrain photosynthesis and respiration independently at the ecosystem scale is to measure the fluxes of CO2­ isotopologues. Instrumentation is currently available to makes these measurements but they are generally costly, large, bench-top instruments. Here, we present progress toward developing a laser-based sensor that can be deployed directly to a canopy to passively measure CO2 isotopologue fluxes. In this study, we perform initial proof-of-concept and sensor characterization tests in the laboratory and in the field to demonstrate performance of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) tunable diode laser flux sensor. The results shown herein demonstrate measurement of bulk CO2 as a first step toward achieving flux measurements of CO2 isotopologues. The sensor uses a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) in the 2012 nm range. The laser is mounted in a multi-pass White Cell. In order to amplify the absorption signal of CO2 in this range we employ wave modulation spectroscopy, introducing an alternating current (AC) bias component where f is the frequency of modulation on the laser drive current in addition to the direct current (DC) emission scanning component. We observed a strong linear relationship (r2 = 0.998 and r2 = 0.978 at all and low CO2 concentrations, respectively) between the 2f signal and the CO2 concentration in the cell across the range of CO2 concentrations relevant for flux measurements. We use this calibration to interpret CO2 concentration of a gas flowing through the White cell in the laboratory and deployed over a grassy field. We will discuss sensor performance in the lab and in situ as well as address steps toward achieving canopy-deployed, passive measurements of CO2 isotopologue fluxes. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-675788

6kW class laser cutting equipment; 6kW daishutsuryoku laser setsudanki ni yoru atsuita setsudan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagata, Y.; Nagahori, M. [Tanaka Engineering Works Ltd., Saitama (Japan)

1994-11-01

Application of the laser cutting machine to the area of cutting steel plates of 5 mm thick or more was first enabled in 1990 by the 2 kW oscillator that was introduced in that year. The thick plate cutting industry has a short history. This paper describes the features and performance of the 6 kW laser cutting machine that was announced in April, 1994. The machine uses a newly developed high-speed axial flow type carbon dioxide laser oscillater with the rated output of 6 kW. As the discharge excitation method, the machine adopted the RF (radio frequency) method that causes low contamination in the discharge tube. The 6 kW laser cutting machine has a number of features such as a large cutting area provided by the oscillator contained in the cutting machine, cutting quality stabilized by the optical path length fixing unit, and automatic functions such as automatic setting of the cutting conditions and scheduled operation. The machine can cut mild steel plates of up to 40 mm thick (or up to 16 mm for stainless steel plates) at the cutting speed of 1600 mm/min for a 16 mm thick plate and 2200 mm/min for a 12 mm thick plate, with the good cut sectional surface. 5 figs., 1 tab.

CALCULATION OF LASER CUTTING COSTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdan Nedic

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The paper presents description methods of metal cutting and calculation of treatment costs based on model that is developed on Faculty of mechanical engineering in Kragujevac. Based on systematization and analysis of large number of calculation models of cutting with unconventional methods, mathematical model is derived, which is used for creating a software for calculation costs of metal cutting. Software solution enables resolving the problem of calculating the cost of laser cutting, comparison' of costs made by other unconventional methods and provides documentation that consists of reports on estimated costs.

Cutting efficiency of a mid-infrared laser on human enamel.

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, G; Koubi, G F; Miserendino, L J

1998-02-01

In this study, the cutting ability of a newly developed dental laser was compared with a dental high-speed handpiece and rotary bur for removal of enamel. Measurements of the volume of tissue removed, energy emitted, and time of exposure were used to quantify the ablation rate (rate of tissue removal) for each test group and compared. Cutting efficiency (mm3/s) of the laser was calculated based on the mean volume of tissue removed per pulse (mm3/pulse) and unit energy expended (mm3/J) over the range of applied powers (2, 4, 6, and 8 W). The specimens were then examined by light microscopy and scanning electron micrographs for qualitative analysis of the amount of remaining debris and the presence of the smear layer on the prepared enamel surface. Calculations of the cutting efficiency of the laser over the range of powers tested revealed a linear relationship with the level of applied power. The maximum average rate of tissue removal by the laser was 0.256 mm3/s at 8 W, compared with 0.945 mm3/s by the dental handpiece. Light microscopy and scanning electron micrograph examinations revealed a reduction in the amount of remaining debris and smear layer in the laser-prepared enamel surfaces, compared with the conventional method. Based on the results of this study, the cutting efficiency of the high-speed handpiece and dental bur was 3.7 times greater than the laser over the range of powers tested, but the laser appeared to create a cleaner enamel surface with minimal thermal damage. Further modifications of the laser system are suggested for improvement of laser cutting efficiency.

Catalysts for long-life closed-cycle CO2 lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Schryer, David R.; Sidney, Barry D.; Miller, Irvin M.; Hess, Robert V.; Wood, George M.; Batten, Carmen E.; Burney, Lewis G.; Hoyt, Ronald F.; Paulin, Patricia A.; Brown, Kenneth G.

1987-01-01

Long-life, closed-cycle operation of pulsed CO2 lasers requires catalytic CO-O2 recombination both to remove O2, which is formed by discharge-induced CO2 decomposition, and to regenerate CO2. Platinum metal on a tin (IV) oxide substrate (Pt/SnO2) has been found to be an effective catalyst for such recombination in the desired temperature range of 25 to 100 C. This paper presents a description of ongoing research at NASA-LaRC on Pt/SnO2 catalyzed CO-O2 recombination. Included are studies with rare-isotope gases since rare-isotope CO2 is desirable as a laser gas for enhanced atmospheric transmission. Results presented include: (1) achievement of 98% to 100% conversion of a stoichiometric mixture of CO and O2 to CO2 for 318 hours (greater than 1 x 10 to the 6th power seconds), continuous, at a catalyst temperature of 60 C, and (2) development of a technique verified in a 30-hour test, to prevent isotopic scrambling when CO-18 and O-18(2) are reacted in the presence of a common-isotope Pt/Sn O-16(2) catalyst.

An Evaluation of the Cutting Potential of Different Types of High Power Lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemming Ove

2006-01-01

Laser cutting is a widespread industrial process. The boundaries for the performance of the lasers in terms of cutting capabilities is steadily moving towards higher cutting rates and thicker section cutting. In this paper the potential of different high power laser sources in cutting is evaluated...... based upon the historical development, the available cutting mechanisms understanding and the critical parameters involved in high power laser cutting. From the theoretical point of view, the new laser sources, the Disc-laser and the Fibre laser possess a potential of changing dramatically the limits...... for cutting performance. These theoretical considerations are evaluated against available cutting data....

Tool feed influence on the machinability of CO(2) laser optics.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, J B; Steger, P J; Saito, T T

1975-08-01

Influence of tool feed on reflectivity of diamond-machined surfaces was evaluated using materials (gold, silver, and copper) from which CO(2) laser optics are primarily produced. Fifteen specimens were machined by holding all machining parameters constant, except tool feed. Tool feed was allowed to vary by controlled amounts from one evaluation zone (or part) to another. Past experience has verified that the quality of a diamond-machined surface is not a function of the cutting velocity; therefore, this experiment was conducted on the basis that a variation in cutting velocity was not an influencing factor on the diamondturning process. Inspection results of the specimens indicated that tool feeds significantly higher than 5.1 micro/rev (200 microin./rev) produced detrimental effects on the machined surfaces. In some cases, at feeds as high as 13 microm/rev (500 microin./rev), visible scoring was evident. Those surfaces produced with tool feeds less than 5.1 microm/rev had little difference in reflectivity. Measurements indicat d that their reflectivity existed in a range from 96.7% to 99.3% at 10.6 microm.

Study on the cutting quality by rectangular pulse wave of the CO sub 2 laser. CO sub 2 laser no kukei pulse hakei ni yoru setsudan hinshitsu no kenkyu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kanaoka, M. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Tokyo (Japan))

1992-05-20

The paper studies effects of laser power parameters on processing quality in cutting metal by the use of rectangular pulse waveform formed by the triaxial cross flow resonator. As a result, the heat affected zone appearing around the kerf expands from the upper part to the lower part, and by increasing pulse peak power the width of the heat affected zone from the central part of board thickness to the lower part lessens. Further, by lowering pulse frequency, the width of the heat affected zone appearing around the kerf from the central part of board thickness to the lower part lessens. Also, by lowering frequency, an energy absortion rate of the workpiece to be processed decreases. Cutting surface roughness is affected by pulse peak power, and the high the peak value is, the better the surface roughness is improved. In addition, the surface roughmess is affected by pulse frequency, and the higher the frequency is, the better the surface roughness is improved. 6 refs., 15 figs.

Characterisation of aerosols produced by laser cutting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fauvel, S.; Pilot, G.; Dinechin, G. de; Gosse, X.; Arnaud, P.

2007-01-01

Powerful lasers represent a promising alternative solution to traditional cutting processes used in dismantling nuclear equipments. The use of optical fibers has an unquestionable advantage when dealing with airtight workshops. A study funded by COGEMA Marcoule was undertaken by IRSN/SERAC in collaboration with GIP/GERAILP in order to characterise the aerosols emitted by the cutting of evaporators elements with a 4 kW continuous wave Nd:YAG laser. For this study, laser cutting has been carried out in a tight room of 35 m 3 connected to a particle sampling pipe. Iso-kinetic samplers allowed the measurement of the aerosol concentration. A diffusional and inertial spectrometer (SDI 2001) - an Andersen impinger coupled to a diffusion battery - provided the size distribution. An electrostatic filter used upstream a HEPA filter, itself placed before the extractor fan, collected the majority of the emitted aerosol. Its efficiency was measured and controlled throughout the experiments. The results show the influence of the cutting conditions on the characteristics of the aerosol, and allow a comparison with other cutting tools. (authors)

Possible applications of powerful pulsed CO2-Lasers in tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nastoyashchii, A.F.; Morozov, I.N.; Hassanein, A.

1998-01-01

Applications of powerful pulsed CO 2 -lasers for injection of fuel tablets or creation of a protective screen from the vapor of light elements to protect against the destruction of plasma-facing components are discussed, and the corresponding laser parameters are determined. The possibility of using CO 2 -lasers in modelling the phenomena of powerful and energetic plasma fluxes interaction with a wall, as in the case of a plasma disruption, is considered. (author)

Characterisation of debris from laser and mechanical cutting of bone.

Science.gov (United States)

Rachmanis, Nikolaos; McGuinness, Garrett B; McGeough, Joseph A

2014-07-01

Laser cutting of bones has been proposed as a technology in orthopaedic surgery. In this short study, the laser-bone interaction was examined using a pulsed erbium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser and compared to a conventional cutting technique. Microscopic analysis revealed the nature of waste debris and showed higher proportions of finer particles for conventional sagittal sawing compared to laser cutting. © IMechE 2014.

Laser cutting equipment for dismantling irradiated PFR fuel sub-assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higginson, P.R.; Campbell, D.A.

1981-01-01

Laser cutting was identified as a possible technique for dismantling irradiated Prototype Fast Reactor (P.F.R.) fuel sub-assemblies and initial trials showed that it could be used to make essentially swarf free cuts in P.F.R. wrapper material provided sufficient laser power was available to allow use of an inert cutting gas. A programme of development work has established a technique for inert gas cutting with the reliable, commercially available Ferranti MF 400 laser and equipment for laser cutting of sub-assemblies has been installed in the Irradiated Fuel Cave at P.F.R. Test cuts carried out with this equipment on un-irradiated wrapper sections have shown it to be easy to operate remotely, optically stable and reliable in operation. (author)

High output power of differently cut Nd:MgO:LiTaO3 CW lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, D. H.; Liu, S. D.; Wang, D. Z.; Sang, Y. H.; Kang, X. L.; Liu, H.; Bi, Y.; Yan, B. X.; He, J. L.; Wang, J. Y.

2013-04-01

A high-quality Nd3+ and Mg2+ co-doped LiTaO3 (Nd:MgO:LT) crystal was grown by the Czochralski method. The polarized absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra were studied, and the absorption cross section was calculated by Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory. The laser performance with different sample cuts of the crystal was investigated for the first time, and it was found that Nd:MgO:LT crystal with different cutting directions (a and c) exhibits different laser properties. By optimizing a partial reflectivity mirror in the laser experimental setting, a high continuous wave output power of 3.58 W was obtained at 1092 and 1076 nm with an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 22.78% and slope efficiency of 26.06%. The results indicate that Nd:MgO:LT crystal is a promising candidate for the manufacture of Nd3+ doped periodically poled MgO:LiTaO3 crystal (Nd:PPMgOLT), which should have considerable applications in self-frequency doubling and optical parametric oscillation laser devices.

High output power of differently cut Nd:MgO:LiTaO3 CW lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, D H; Liu, S D; Wang, D Z; Sang, Y H; Kang, X L; Liu, H; He, J L; Wang, J Y; Bi, Y; Yan, B X

2013-01-01

A high-quality Nd 3+ and Mg 2+ co-doped LiTaO 3 (Nd:MgO:LT) crystal was grown by the Czochralski method. The polarized absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra were studied, and the absorption cross section was calculated by Judd–Ofelt (J–O) theory. The laser performance with different sample cuts of the crystal was investigated for the first time, and it was found that Nd:MgO:LT crystal with different cutting directions (a and c) exhibits different laser properties. By optimizing a partial reflectivity mirror in the laser experimental setting, a high continuous wave output power of 3.58 W was obtained at 1092 and 1076 nm with an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 22.78% and slope efficiency of 26.06%. The results indicate that Nd:MgO:LT crystal is a promising candidate for the manufacture of Nd 3+ doped periodically poled MgO:LiTaO 3 crystal (Nd:PPMgOLT), which should have considerable applications in self-frequency doubling and optical parametric oscillation laser devices. (paper)

Laser cutting technology using water jet waveguide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akiba, Miyuki; Shiihara, Katsunori; Chida, Itaru

2013-01-01

Laser with water jet is examined to cut in-vessel structure. However, it is necessary to increase the break-up length of water jet to cut a thick plate. Therefore, the effects of the water jet parameter (water pressure, assist gas, laser power) on break-up length were investigated. It was found from observation results of water jet that the longest break-up length is about 135mm under condition of water pressure 40 MPa, laser power 30W and helium assist gas 1L/min. (author)

QCL seeded, ns-pulse, multi-line, CO2 laser oscillator for laser-produced-plasma extreme-UV source

Science.gov (United States)

Nowak, Krzysztof Michał; Suganuma, Takashi; Kurosawa, Yoshiaki; Ohta, Takeshi; Kawasuji, Yasufumi; Nakarai, Hiroaki; Saitou, Takashi; Fujimoto, Junichi; Mizoguchi, Hakaru; Sumitani, Akira; Endo, Akira

2017-01-01

Successful merger of state-of-the-art, semiconductor quantum-cascade lasers (QCL), with the mature CO2 laser technology, resulted in a delivery of highly-desired qualities of CO2 laser output that were not available previously without much effort. These qualities, such as multi-line operation, excellent spectro-temporal stability and pulse waveform control, became available from a single device of moderate complexity. This paper describes the operation principle and the unique properties of the solid{state seeded CO2 laser, invented for an application in laser-produced-plasma (LPP), extreme-UV (EUV) light source.

Histological Ex Vivo Evaluation of Peri-Incisional Thermal Effect Created by a New-Generation CO2 Superpulsed Laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Palaia

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is the evaluation of the histological effects of a new-generation superpulsed CO2 laser through an “ex vivo” study. A CO2 (λ = 10,600 nm ultra-speed laser (SmartUS20D, DEKA, Florence, Italy has been used at different parameters from 2 to 4 watt in Continuous Wave (CW and Pulsed Wave (PW, 50 Hz to obtain 30 samples from pig cadaver tongues. All the specimens have been subdivided into 6 groups (from A to F and each group consisted of 5 samples. A final specimen has been taken by scalpel and used as control group. Histological analysis has been performed using an optical microscope (Leica DM 2000 at a magnification of ×40. Results showed that histological readability was optimal in all the samples. The thermal damage has been negligible in all the groups. Furthermore, the average of thermal damage was 0,095 mm in the epithelial, while it was 0.245 mm in the connective tissue. Statistical analysis using Graphpad Prism 5 software showed no significant differences among the groups. CO2 laser demonstrated a good surgical effectiveness provoking little peripheral damage onto the cut edges and allowing a safe histological diagnosis.

A 2.5-kW industrial CO2 laser

Science.gov (United States)

Golov, V. K.; Ivanchenko, A. I.; Krasheninnikov, V. V.; Ponomarenko, A. G.; Shepelenko, A. A.

1986-06-01

A fast-flow laser is reported in which the active medium is excited by a self-sustained dc discharge produced by an electric-discharge device with nonsectioned electrodes. In the laser, two discharge gaps are formed by a flat anode and two cathodes, one on each side of the anode. A gas mixture is driven through the gasdynamic channel by a centrifugal fan rotating at 6000 rpm/min. With a mixture of CO2:N2:He = 2.5:7.5:5 mm Hg, the rated power is 2.5 kW; the maximum power is 4 kW with the mixture 2.5:7.5:10 mm Hg. The general design of the laser is described, and its principal performance characteristics are given.

Diffraction efficiency enhancement of femtosecond laser-engraved diffraction gratings due to CO{sub 2} laser polishing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Hun-Kook [Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Jung, Deok; Sohn, Ik-Bu; Noh, Young-Chul; Lee, Yong-Tak [Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jin-Tae [Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Ahsan, Shamim [Khulna University, Khulna (Bangladesh)

2014-11-15

This research demonstrates laser-assisted fabrication of high-efficiency diffraction gratings in fused-silica glass samples. Initially, femtosecond laser pulses are used to engrave diffraction gratings on the glass surfaces. Then, these micro-patterned glass samples undergo CO{sub 2} laser polishing process. unpolished diffraction gratings encoded in the glass samples show an overall diffraction efficiency of 18.1%. diffraction gratings imprinted on the glass samples and then polished four times by using a CO{sub 2} laser beam attain a diffraction efficiency of 32.7%. We also investigate the diffraction patterns of the diffraction gratings encoded on fused-silica glass surfaces. The proposed CO{sub 2} laser polishing technique shows great potential in patterning high-efficiency diffraction gratings on the surfaces of various transparent materials.

The use of laser CO2 in salivary gland diseases

Science.gov (United States)

Ciolfi, C.; Rocchetti, F.; Fioravanti, M.; Tenore, G.; Palaia, G.; Romeo, U.

2016-03-01

Salivary gland diseases can include reactive lesions, obstructive lesions, and benign tumors. All these clinical entities are slow growing. Salivary glands reactive lesions, such as mucoceles, can result from extravasation of saliva into the surrounding soft tissue or from retention of saliva within the duct. Sialolithiasis, one of the most common obstructive lesions, is generally due to calculi, which are attributed to retention of saliva. Monomorphic adenoma is a salivary gland benign tumor, which is exclusively resulted from proliferation of epithelial cells, with no alterations interesting the connective tissue. The elective therapy of these lesions is surgical excision because sometimes they can be accompained by difficulties during chewing and phonation and can interfere with prosthesis's stability. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of CO2 laser in the treatment of patients with salivary gland diseases. Three different cases - a mucocele, a scialolithiasis and a monomorphic adenoma - were treated with CO2 laser excision (CW and 4W), under local anesthesia. Two different techniques were used: circumferential incision for the adenoma, and mucosa preservation technique for mucocele and sialolithiasis. In each case final haemostasis was obtained by thermocoagulation, but suture was applied to guarantee good healing by sewing up the flaps. The patients were checked after twenty days and the healing was good. The carbon dioxide laser (CO2 laser) was one of the earliest gas laser to be developed, and is still the highest-power continuous wave laser that is currently available. In dentistry the CO2 laser produces a beam of infrared light with the principal wavelength bands centering around 9.4 and 10.6 micrometers. Laser excision can be very useful in oral surgery. In the cases presented CO2 laser offered, differently from traditional surgery, simplified surgical technique, shorter duration of operation, minimal postoperative pain, minimal scarring

CO2 laser photo-induced decomposition of ammoniated ammonium ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikezoe, Yasumasa; Soga, Takesi; Suzuki, Kazuya; Moriyama, Noboru; Ohno, Shin-ichi

1995-01-01

Photo-induced decomposition of ammoniated (clustered) ammonium ions was studied using a CO 2 laser to excite vibrational levels of the cluster ion. A tandem mass spectrometer (TMS) was installed with two quadrupole mass filters, a corona discharge ionization chamber, and a series of einzel lenses. Cluster ions of NH 4 + ·nNH 3 with n=1-7 were formed in TMS, and found to decompose at the frequency of 1077 cm -1 to an extent in proportional to laser intensity. CO 2 laser between 925 and 1055 do not decompose the cluster ions with laser intensities examined. (author)

Tratamiento del rinofima con láser de CO2: Presentación de un caso Treatment of rhinophyma with CO2 laser: A case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.L. Cebrián Carretero

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Introducción. El rinofima es una alteración cutánea de la región nasal que produce problemas estéticos importantes. Describimos nuestra experiencia en un caso de rinofima avanzado y su resolución por medio de una técnica sencilla. Material y métodos. Previa desinfección cutánea se realizó anestesia infiltrativa y bloqueo troncular de nervios infraorbitarios y etmoidales. A continuación se realizó la resección de casi todo el espesor cutáneo con un láser de CO2 Lumenis Sharplan conservando la dermis profunda para permitir la curación por segunda intención. Posteriormente se aplicó vaselina y se realizaron curas y lavados diarios. El paciente fue dado de alta al día siguiente de la intervención. Resultados. Los resultados estéticos fueron muy buenos. El dolor postoperatorio fue controlado con analgesia habitual. En la primera semana se objetivaba un buen grado de cicatrización. A los 2 meses la reepitelización fue completa y ya no se observaban costras ni eritema. Conclusión. La utilización del láser de CO2 en el tratamiento del rinofima avanzado logra unos excelentes resultados estéticos con una morbilidad y riesgo operatorio mínimos.Introduction. Rhinophyma is a skin alteration of the nasal region that causes considerable aesthetic problems. We describe our experience with a case of advanced rhinophyma and its resolution by means of a simple technique. Materials and methods. The skin area was disinfected beforehand, anaesthesia infiltration and the infraorbital and ethmoidal nerve trunks were blocked. Then, using a Lumenis Sharplan CO2 laser almost the complete skin thickness was resected while preserving the deep dermis layer so as to allow second intention healing. Later, Vaseline was applied and the area was treated daily. The patient was discharged the day after the intervention. Results. The aesthetic results were very good. Postoperative pain was controlled with standard analgesics. Adequate healing was

Laser cutting of bone tissue under bulk water with a pulsed ps-laser at 532 nm.

Science.gov (United States)

Tulea, Cristian-Alexander; Caron, Jan; Gehlich, Nils; Lenenbach, Achim; Noll, Reinhard; Loosen, Peter

2015-10-01

Hard-tissue ablation was already investigated for a broad variety of pulsed laser systems, which cover almost the entire range of available wavelengths and pulse parameters. Most effective in hard-tissue ablation are Er:YAG and CO2 lasers, both utilizing the effect of absorption of infrared wavelengths by water and so-called explosive vaporization, when a thin water film or water–air spray is supplied. The typical flow rates and the water layer thicknesses are too low for surgical applications where bleeding occurs and wound flushing is necessary. We studied a 20 W ps-laser with 532 nm wavelength and a pulse energy of 1 mJ to effectively ablate bones that are submerged 14 mm under water. For these laser parameters, the plasma-mediated ablation mechanism is dominant. Simulations based on the blow-off model predict the cut depth and cross-sectional shape of the incision. The model is modified considering the cross section of the Gaussian beam, the incident angle, and reflections. The ablation rate amounts to 0.2  mm3/s, corresponding to an increase by at least 50% of the highest values published so far for ultrashort laser ablation of hard tissue.

Diffusion of Co and W in diamond tool induced by 10.6 µm CO2 laser radiation

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Masina, Bathusile N

2011-05-01

Full Text Available www.csir.co.za Experimental setup CO2 laser ZnSe lens, f = 250 mm HPHT diamond sample Infrared camera Slide 8 © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za Experimental setup CO2 laser ZnSe lens, f = 250 mm HPHT diamond sample Infrared camera...

Laser Ablation of Biological Tissue Using Pulsed CO2 Laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashishin, Yuichi; Sano, Shu; Nakayama, Takeyoshi

2010-01-01

Laser scalpels are currently used as a form of laser treatment. However, their ablation mechanism has not been clarified because laser excision of biological tissue occurs over a short time scale. Biological tissue ablation generates sound (laser-induced sound). This study seeks to clarify the ablation mechanism. The state of the gelatin ablation was determined using a high-speed video camera and the power reduction of a He-Ne laser beam. The aim of this study was to clarify the laser ablation mechanism by observing laser excision using the high-speed video camera and monitoring the power reduction of the He-Ne laser beam. We simulated laser excision of a biological tissue by irradiating gelatin (10 wt%) with radiation from a pulsed CO 2 laser (wavelength: 10.6 μm; pulse width: 80 ns). In addition, a microphone was used to measure the laser-induced sound. The first pulse caused ablation particles to be emitted in all directions; these particles were subsequently damped so that they formed a mushroom cloud. Furthermore, water was initially evaporated by laser irradiation and then tissue was ejected.

Effects of forest regeneration practices on the flux of soil CO2 after clear-cutting in subtropical China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yixiang; Zhu, Xudan; Bai, Shangbin; Zhu, Tingting; Qiu, Wanting; You, Yujie; Wu, Minjuan; Berninger, Frank; Sun, Zhibin; Zhang, Hui; Zhang, Xiaohong

2018-04-15

Reforestation after clear-cutting is used to facilitate rapid establishment of new stands. However, reforestation may cause additional soil disturbance by affecting soil temperature and moisture, thus potentially influencing soil respiration. Our aim was to compare the effects of different reforestation methods on soil CO 2 flux after clear-cutting in a Chinese fir plantation in subtropical China: uncut (UC), clear-cut followed by coppicing regeneration without soil preparation (CC), clear-cut followed by coppicing regeneration and reforestation with soil preparation, tending in pits and replanting (CCR P ), and clear-cut followed by coppicing regeneration and reforestation with overall soil preparation, tending and replanting (CCR O ). Clear-cutting significantly increased the mean soil temperature and decreased the mean soil moisture. Compared to UC, CO 2 fluxes were 19.19, 37.49 and 55.93 mg m -2 h -1 higher in CC, CCR P and CCR O , respectively (P soil temperature, litter mass and the mixing of organic matter with mineral soil. The results suggest that, when compared to coppicing regeneration, reforestation practices result in additional CO 2 released, and that regarding the CO 2 emissions, soil preparation and tending in pits is a better choice than overall soil preparation and tending. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Cut Quality on Hybrid Laser Arc Welding of Thick Section Steels

Science.gov (United States)

Farrokhi, F.; Nielsen, S. E.; Schmidt, R. H.; Pedersen, S. S.; Kristiansen, M.

From an industrial point of view, in a laser cutting-welding production chain, it is of great importance to know the influence of the attainable laser cut quality on the subsequent hybrid laser arc welding process. Many studies have been carried out in the literature to obtain lower surface roughness values on the laser cut edge. However, in practice, the cost and reliability of the cutting process is crucial and it does not always comply with obtaining the highest surface quality. In this study, a number of experiments on 25 mm steel plates were carried out to evaluate the influence of cut surface quality on the final quality of the subsequent hybrid laser welded joints. The different cut surfaces were obtained by different industrial cutting methods including laser cutting, abrasive water cutting, plasma cutting, and milling. It was found that the mentioned cutting methods could be used as preparation processes for the subsequent hybrid laser arc welding. However, cut quality could determine the choice of process parameters of the following hybrid laser arc welding.

Analysis on the electron motion in the laser mixture CO/sub 2/-N/sub 2/-He-CO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Braglia, G L [Parma Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Fisica; Parma Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Matematica); Bruzzese, R [Naples Univ. (Italy). Ist. Elettrotecnico; Caraffini, G L [Parma Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Matematica

1979-06-02

An analysis of the electron motion in the laser mixture CO/sub 2/-N/sub 2/-He-CO (6:34:54:6) is presented. The transport coefficients are given as a function of E/N. Special attention is turned to the operating characteristics of the laser mixture. The results obtained from the Boltzmann equation are tested by the Monte-Carlo technique for E/N=1.5 10/sup -16/ and 5.0 10/sup -16/ (V cm/sup 2/).

Photodiode-based cutting interruption sensor for near-infrared lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Adelmann, B; Schleier, M; Neumeier, B; Hellmann, R

2016-03-01

We report on a photodiode-based sensor system to detect cutting interruptions during laser cutting with a fiber laser. An InGaAs diode records the thermal radiation from the process zone with a ring mirror and optical filter arrangement mounted between a collimation unit and a cutting head. The photodiode current is digitalized with a sample rate of 20 kHz and filtered with a Chebyshev Type I filter. From the measured signal during the piercing, a threshold value is calculated. When the diode signal exceeds this threshold during cutting, a cutting interruption is indicated. This method is applied to sensor signals from cutting mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminum, as well as different material thicknesses and also laser flame cutting, showing the possibility to detect cutting interruptions in a broad variety of applications. In a series of 83 incomplete cuts, every cutting interruption is successfully detected (alpha error of 0%), while no cutting interruption is reported in 266 complete cuts (beta error of 0%). With this remarkable high detection rate and low error rate, the possibility to work with different materials and thicknesses in combination with the easy mounting of the sensor unit also to existing cutting machines highlight the enormous potential for this sensor system in industrial applications.

Finite element simulation of laser cutting process of steel sheet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meško Jozef

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Lasers are widely used in industry as cutting tools due to ultra flexibility of the cutting conditions, obtaining high quality end product, quick set up, non-mechanical contact between the workpiece and the tool, and small size of the heat affected zone. In the present study, laser gas assisted cutting process is examined. The laser cutting sheet solution is practically always very convenient compared to conventional technologies and brings the greatest cost savings in the manufacturing process.

Cutting performances with new industrial continuous wave ND:YAG high power lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chagnot, C.; Dinechin, G. de; Canneau, G.

2010-01-01

Dismantling is a great challenge for nuclear companies which are facing with the cleaning of former nuclear sites. Among the available cutting processes is the multi-kilowatts laser whose power is transmitted through optical fibers. Unlike other cutting processes such as the plasma arc cutting process or the oxy-cutting process, the laser process can be easily implemented by robotic equipments. The mechanised robotic arm carries a laser cutting head to perform, with remote-controlled equipments, the cutting operation. The present study deals with the performances which can be reached with high power continuous wave ND:YAG lasers. The cutting tests were carried out up to 8 kW. The laser power was delivered through a specific power supply chain: a 0.4 mm fiber was transporting the power from the laser to a first interface (coupler) then a second 0.6 mm fiber was bringing the laser power to the cutting head. This solution allowed a power delivery chain whose length could be as high as 100 + 20/50 m. Another advantage of this kind of power supply is that the first fiber can be set in a non-contaminated environment whereas the second fiber lies in the contaminated area. The cutting head used for these tests was a specific tool developed for this laser dismantling work: it is a laser cutting head cooled by pressurized air. This tool was developed with the requirement to be able to sustain a laser power of 14 kW. The pressurized air used to cool the head is also used as cutting gas. The cutting capability was about 10 mm by kW. At the power of 8 kW, austenitic steel plates of thickness 100 mm were cut. These performances were reached with the cut started on the plate's edge. If the cut started in the middle of the plate, the cutting performances were not so high: 8 kW became the power to drill and to cut plates of thickness 40 mm.

Dental hard tissue drilling by longitudinally excited CO2 laser

Science.gov (United States)

Uno, Kazuyuki; Yamamoto, Takuya; Akitsu, Tetsuya; Jitsuno, Takahisa

2017-07-01

We developed a longitudinally excited CO2 laser with a long optical cavity and investigated the drilling characteristics of dental hard tissue. The CO2 laser was very simple and consisted of a 45-cm-long alumina ceramic pipe with an inner diameter of 13 mm, a pulse power supply, a step-up transformer, a storage capacitance, a spark gap, and a long optical cavity with a cavity length of 175 cm. The CO2 laser produced a short pulse that had a spike pulse with the width of 337 ns and the energy of 1.9 mJ, a pulse tail with the length of 180 μs and the energy of 37.6 mJ, and a doughnut-like beam. In the investigation, a sample was a natural drying human tooth (enamel and dentine). In a processing system, a ZnSe focusing lens with the focal length of 50 mm was used and the location of the focal plane was that of the sample surface. In 1 pulse irradiation, the drilling characteristics depended on the fluence was investigated. In the enamel and dentin drilling, the drilling depth increased with the fluence. The 1 pulse irradiation with the fluence of 21.5 J/cm2 produced the depth of 79.3 μm in the enamel drilling, and the depth of 152.7 μm in the dentin drilling. The short-pulse CO2 laser produced a deeper drilling depth at a lower fluence than long-pulse CO2 lasers in dental hard tissue processing.

Laser welding, cutting and surface treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crafer, R.C.

1984-01-01

Fourteen articles cover a wide range of laser applications in welding, cutting and surface treatment. Future trends are covered as well as specific applications in shipbuilding, the manufacture of heart pacemakers, in the electronics industry, in automobile production and in the aeroengine industry. Safety with industrial lasers and the measurement of laser beam parameters are also included. One article on 'Lasers in the Nuclear Industry' is indexed separately. (U.K.)

Effect of Defocused CO2 Laser on Equine Tissue Perfusion

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Bergh A

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Treatment with defocused CO2 laser can have a therapeutic effect on equine injuries, but the mechanisms involved are unclear. A recent study has shown that laser causes an increase in equine superficial tissue temperature, which may result in an increase in blood perfusion and a stimulating effect on tissue regeneration. However, no studies have described the effects on equine tissue perfusion. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of defocused CO2 laser on blood perfusion and to correlate it with temperature in skin and underlying muscle in anaesthetized horses. Differences between clipped and unclipped haircoat were also assessed. Eight horses and two controls received CO2 laser treatment (91 J/cm2 in a randomised order, on a clipped and unclipped area of the hamstring muscles, respectively. The significant increase in clipped skin perfusion and temperature was on average 146.3 ± 33.4 perfusion units (334% and 5.5 ± 1.5°C, respectively. The significant increase in perfusion and temperature in unclipped skin were 80.6 ± 20.4 perfusion units (264% and 4.8 ± 1.4°C. No significant changes were seen in muscle perfusion or temperature. In conclusion, treatment with defocused CO2 laser causes a significant increase in skin perfusion, which is correlated to an increase in skin temperature.

A comparison of CO2 laser versus traditional stapedectomy outcomes.