Removal of laser-melted material with an assist gas

Abstract

Molten material is removed in many laser applications such as laser grooving and laser cutting. An assist gas is usually used to remove the molten material from the laser material interaction zone. The effect of assist gas pressure on the material removal rate is investigated in this article for laser cutting and grooving applications. The model for melt depth is based on the overall energy balance, and the cut depth is obtained by considering the effect of the assist gas. The model for kerf width is based on the modified Rosenthal solution taking into account the melting effect. The cut depths reach a constant value beyond a critical pressure if the kerf width is of the order of nozzle width and through cuts are assumed. Most of the molten material is removed by the assist gas at pressures below this critical pressure. The model predicts on the basis of the Prandtl or Meyer relation that the cutting speed decreases when the assist gas pressure exceeds a critical value if the kerf dimensions are smaller than the nozzle dimensions