Plasma behaviors in laser cutting

Hideyuki Horisawa; Masataka Tamura; Seiichiro Kimura

doi:10.1117/12.405755

6 November 2000 Plasma behaviors in laser cutting

Hideyuki Horisawa, Masataka Tamura, Seiichiro Kimura

Proceedings Volume 4088, First International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.405755
Event: First International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication (LPM2000), 2000, Omiya, Saitama, Japan

Abstract

Behaviors of the plasma, the emission intensity, distribution, source and species were evaluated using a high-speed video camera, a color CCD camera, and a spectrum multi-channel analyzer. It was found that a strong blue radiation from iron atoms of workpiece, nitrogen molecules or ions of a gas jet, when the cut surface quality was not acceptable. As cutting speed increased, plasma formation region where a laser beam was focused was more extended. It was found that flow speeds of molten material at bottom in which the plasma was induced became slower than those of top and middle points. Also, scattering angles of molten material droplets at a bottom exit of a kerf became larger and, at the same time, reattachment of molten material at the bottom was observed. Moreover, it was found that additional branches of the flows of molten material with smaller and darker droplets were formed intermittently, and that parts of the branches of the flowing droplets were being attached as dross to the bottom edges. From these results, it was confirmed that the plasma formation (region) and sizes and angles of striations (cut surface quality) were strongly correlated. Possibilities of the in-process evaluation of the cut surface quality by monitoring the plasma sizes and/or brightness in laser beam cutting were discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Hideyuki Horisawa, Masataka Tamura, and Seiichiro Kimura "Plasma behaviors in laser cutting", Proc. SPIE 4088, First International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication, (6 November 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.405755

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