LASER-PULSE OPTIMIZATION FOR PRACTICAL LASER DRILLING

Laser driling is a common commercially developed technique for materia l processing. From the application viewpoint, it is the end product fo r a laser system, for instance a drilled hole, that matters. Laser pul se profile is the most important parameter controlling the laser hole drilling process. An efficient and practical method is therefore neede d to develop a relationship between the pulse parameters and the depth of hole produced in a known material. In the present study, dimension less groups are developed to optimize laser pulse parameters to give i nformation on workpiece materials. Consequently, an optimal laser puls e for drilling an aluminum workpiece is predicted.