UV Laser micro-machining of metals for the production of micro devices is generating significant interest. This approach to micro-fabrication has the distinct advantage of being non-contact, rapid, flexible and precise. At present, the laser micro-manufacture of new micro device designs, or the introduction of untried materials requires exploration of laser parameters to achieve acceptable yields. We have undertaken a quantitative study of UV laser micro-machining of 2024 Aluminium, Copper and marine grade steel. These metals are of broad application in the manufacture of sensors for structural health monitoring and are of particular interest to defence. The UV laser micro-machining study was carried out using a frequency tripled Nd YAG laser. In this paper the influence of the number of passes of the laser over the metal surface are compared with cutting profiles, and ablation or melt behaviour as a function of cut depth.
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