Module 4

Laser Beam Machining

• The word laser stands for Light amplification
by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
• It uses a laser beam, which is a narrow,
monochromatic high intense light which can
cut or machine any metal and non-metal.
• It can use to cut any material irrespective to
hardness of work piece.
• It can also use to cut diamond which is hardest
known material on earth.
• The LBM process does not involve mass
material removal, but does provide rapid
material removal with an easily controlled,
non-contact, non-wearing tool.
 Features of Laser Beam
• Highly collimated (light rays in the beam
are almost perfectly parallel – a diverging
angle of less than 1-2 milli radians)
• Monochromatic (all the photons have
the same energy and hence the same
frequency and wavelength)
 Elements of LBM
• Laser medium (collection of atoms, molecules,
or ions)
• Pumping energy source – required to excite
these atoms to higher energy level
• Optical feedback system
 Focusing
• Laser beam can be focused by curved mirrors
or lenses to reduce its spot size.
 Laser beam emission
• The laser beam can be emitted in either the continuous
wave (CW) or pulse modes.
• The power of laser beam is constant in the continuous
wave mode, but intermittent in the pulse mode.
• The advantage of the pulsed laser is its increasing peak
power with shorter pulse duration without an increase
in the average output.
• From the processing point of view, the depth of heat
conduction (heat-affected zone) into workpiece is
lower compared with that of CW laser
 Types of lasers
• Solid state lasers
– Xenon or krypton filled flash lamps are used for
pulsed lasers and krypton filled arc lamps are used
to produce a continuous beam
– Nd:YAG laser, having the highest available power
of all the solid state lasers.
• Gas lasers
– Most commonly used is CO2 gas laser
 Mechanism of Material Removal
• The mechanism of material removal is primarily
by melting and rapid vaporisation due to
intense heating by the laser beam.
• The focal point of the laser is intentionally focused
onto the surface of the work piece for providing
the heat in a concentric manner.
• The movement of machine-axis is through the
computer control which helps to achieve the
required profiles on the work piece.
• To clear the molten metal that has not vaporized,
gas under pressure is passed on-to the work.
 Material removal rate
• MRR increases with laser power density.
• The cutting depth of a laser is directly proportional to
the power density

• Cutting speed can be as high as 4 m/min

• material removal rate is 5 mm3/min.
• Dimensional Tolerance – Typical ranges from ±0.015 -
±0.125 mm
• Surface Finish – Ra varies between 0.4 – 6.3 µm
 Heat affected zone
• High laser beam intensity, good focusing
characteristics resulted into narrow heat
affected zone (HAZ) in laser beam machining
comparing with other thermal process.
Heat affected zone
 Effects of HAZ
• HAZ width increases with the increase of laser
beam power throughout the range;
• Increases with the increase of pulse frequency.
• Laser beam diameter has a negligible effect on
HAZ depth
• HAZ depth increases with thickness of work
• As cutting speed increases, the cutting time
decreases and less time for the heat to diffuse
sideways and the narrower the HAZ.
 Surface quality/tolerance
• Laser cutting, due to the narrow width results
in a superior quality, higher accuracy and
greater flexibility
• Focus position is the most significant laser
cutting parameter affecting the quality
• Decreasing power and increasing feed rate
generally led to a decrease in cut width
 Advantages of LBM
• In laser machining there is no physical tool. Thus
no machining force or wear of the tool takes place.
• Need a simple work holding system to hold the
work piece.
• Micro-holes can be drilled in difficult – to –
machine materials.
• Materials which cannot be machined by
conventional methods are machined by LBM
(ceramics, glass to softer materials like plastics,
rubber wood).
• Heat is very much focused so rest of the work
piece is least affected by the heat.
• Laser produces high quality cuts without extra
finishing requirements
 Disadvantages of LBM
• Laser processes involve high capital investments
and high operating costs.
• Cannot be used for high heat conductivity
materials light reflecting materials.
• Skilled operators are required.
• Laser holes are tapered to some extent
(approximately 1% of the drill depth)
• It cannot drill blind holes to precise depths.
Hence there is limitation on its thickness.
• Reflected laser lights can lead to safety hazards
 Applications of LBM
• LBM is used to perform different machining
operations like drilling, slitting, slotting and
scribing operations.
• It is used for drilling holes of small diameter of
the order of 0.025 mm.
• Making complex profiles in thin and hard
materials like integrated circuits and printed
circuit boards (PCBS).
• Machining of mechanical components of
watches.
• Machining of very hard material parts.
• Process can be performed on the ceramics,
organics, non-metals, metals, plastic etc.
Electron beam Machining
 Electron beam Machining
• EBM is a metal removal process by a high
velocity focused stream of electrons.
• As the electrons strike the work piece with
high velocity, their kinetic energy is
transformed into thermal energy which melts
and vaporizes the material.
 EBM PROCESS
• Electron beam is generated in an electron beam gun
• Electron beam gun provides high velocity electrons
over a very small spot size.
• The high-energy focused electron beam is made to
impinge on the work piece with a spot size of 10 –
100μm.
• The kinetic energy of the high velocity electrons is
converted to heat energy as the electrons strike the
work material.
• Due to high power density instant melting and
vaporisation starts and “melt – vaporisation” front
gradually progresses
• A magnetic deflection coil is used to make
electron beam circular and to focus electron
beam at a point (localized heating).
• The process is carried out in a vacuum chamber
to prevent electrons from colliding with
molecules of the atmospheric air and to prevent
tungsten filament from getting oxidizing with air.
• Unlike in Electron Beam Welding, the gun in EBM
is used in pulsed mode.
• Holes can be drilled in thin sheets using a single
pulse.
• For thicker plates, multiple pulses would be
required.
Mechanism of metal removal
 Electron Beam Process – Parameters

• The beam current

• Pulse duration
• Energy per pulse
• Lens current
• Spot size
• Power density (energy/pulse*duration of
pulse/size of spot)
• Beam current: As beam current is increased, the
energy per pulse delivered to the work piece is
also increased and MRR increases.
• Beam current once again can be as low as 200 μA
to 1A

• Pulse duration: Affects both the depth and the

diameter of the hole.
• The longer the pulse duration, the wider the
diameter and the deeper the drilling depth
capability and MRR
• A higher energy density, i.e., for a lower spot
size, the material removal would be faster
though the size of the hole would be smaller.
• Lens current: The diameter of the focused
electron beam spot on the work piece will, in
turn, determine the diameter of the hole
produced.
• Lens current determines the distance between
the focal point and the electron beam gun and
determines the size of the focused spot on the
work piece.
• MRR = area of slot or hole × speed of cutting =
A×V
• Thermal velocity acquired by an electron of
the work material due to electron beam is
 Accuracy/surface quality

• Critical parameters to control surface

quality/characteristics are beam current, beam
diameter work speed and work material.
• Thermal properties also have influences on the
surface property
 Heat Affected Zone
• Heat-affected zone developed by EBM is
generally less than 0.25 mm deep.
• The heat affected zone consists of a thin layer of
recast material, which may diminish the
structural integrity of work pieces, which are
highly stressed.
• The amount of recast and the depth of HAZ will
be governed by the pulse duration, energy
per pulse, spot size and thickness of plate etc.
• Shorter pulse durations will allow less interaction
time for thermal effects to reduce the HAZ.
 Advantages of EBM
• Very small holes can be machined in every type of
material with high accuracy
• Drilling holes with high depth/diameter ratios,
greater than 100:1
• Very high drilling rates – up to 4000 holes/sec
• Drills any material - Hardness, thermal capacity,
ductility, electrical conductivity or surface
properties etc, are not barriers. (steel, stainless
steel, Ti and Ni super-alloys, aluminum, plastics,
ceramics can be machined successfully using
electron beam).
• EBM does not apply any cutting force on the
work pieces. Thus very simple work holding is
required.
• No mechanical distortion.
• Limited thermal effects because pulse
durations are short and Low HAZ effect
• No tool wear
• Best obtainable finish, compared to the other
unconventional processes used to drill
• Low operating cost
 Disadvantages
• Cost of equipment is high.
• Rate of material removal is low.
• Limited to 10mm material thickness
• Vacuum requirements limit the size of work
piece.
• High level of operator skill required
 Application of EBM
• For making fine gas orifices in space nuclear reactors
and turbine blades
• Machining of wire drawing dies having small sectional
area (Holes as small as 0.002 mm)
• Electron beam can be used for welding small pieces of
highly reactive and refractory metals.
• Widely used to perforate many materials like super
alloys, plastics, and textiles.
• Inclined holes are another advantage of Electron beam
• Non-circular hole drilling
• Engraving of metals, ceramics