Cutting of ceramic plates by optical fiber guided Nd : YAG laser

Advanced ceramics have excellent resistance to heat, wear, and corrosion an d are used in many industrial applications were these properties are requir ed. However, the high hardness and brittleness of ceramics make them diffic ult and expensive to machine by conventional manufacturing methods. In this article we present the results of the work carried out to analyze qualitat ively the influence of some parameters such as the cutting speed and the as sist gas pressure on the laser cutting of mullite-alumina plates. The exper iments were performed with a 500 W pulsed Nd:YAG laser coupled to an optica l fiber and a commercial cutting head. An inert gas (Ar) was used as assist gas, which was injected to the workpiece through a coaxial conical nozzle. Mullite-alumina plates having a thickness of 4 mm were cut at a maximum cu tting speed of 5 mm/s, The results obtained demonstrate that the pulsed Nd: YAG laser connected to an optical fiber is a feasible and flexible tool for a successful cutting of components made of mullite alumina. (C) 2001 Laser Institute of America.