CO₂ Laser Micro-Engraving of PMMA Complemented By Taguchi and ANOVA Methods

Abstract

Laser micromachining is used in the microfluidic application, especially in biomedical technology, the point of care diagnostics, and chemical analysis. In this research work, a micro-engraving was done on PMMA (Polymethylmethacrylate) using a CO2 laser. Based on the Taguchi design of the experiment; 25 experiments were done to study the effect of laser parameters on the micro-engraving process. The effect of input parameters, laser power, engraving speed, and overlapping space has discussed on the micro-engraving characteristic, surface roughness, engraving depth, and overall time of the process. The results show different surface roughness ranged between 7 – 1.72 µm. Also, the depth results ranged between 20.4 – 5800 µm which could be used in many various applications. The ANOVA results showed that the engraving speed has a significant”effect on surface roughness and”engraving depth, but in engraving time, the laser power has a substantial impact at 94.06%.

Design and fabrication of microfluidic devices: a cost-effective approach for high throughput production

“…The detailed technical specifications of the laser engraving machine are mentioned in table 2. Tuning of the laser parameters (power, speed, and focal distance) allows control of the feature depth, width, and geometry [45][46][47]. The laser spacing interval can be adjusted further to improve the surface finish of the material.…”

Machinability of AA 2024 aluminum alloy by fiber laser engraving process

“…Additionally, if the metallic components are complicated to machine using conventional machining methods, tool-related problems affect the surface quality and dimensional accuracy, weakening those properties [7]. Advanced machining techniques, namely electro-discharge machining, wire electro-discharge machining, abrasive water jet, ultrasonic machining, plasma beam machining, and laser beam assisted machining techniques, could provide many advantages in precision manufacturing of small parts with intricate details at desired dimensional accuracy and surface tolerances [8][9][10][11][12][13]. The micro-sized components exhibit various applications in industries, e. g., medicine, semiconductor, and aerospace.…”

“…A computer-controlled laser beam could be used as a thermal tool to process the desired profile on the metal surface [13]. The small diameter of the laser beam enables particularly successful engraving and milling applications, e. g., micro-product, micro-texture, micro-perforated microfluidic field, micro-channel, micro-valves and pumps [10,12,13].…”

“…A computer-controlled laser beam could be used as a thermal tool to process the desired profile on the metal surface [13]. The small diameter of the laser beam enables particularly successful engraving and milling applications, e. g., micro-product, micro-texture, micro-perforated microfluidic field, micro-channel, micro-valves and pumps [10,12,13]. Laser beam-assisted applications could be applied to all materials regardless of their hardness, especially to materials that are difficult to cut using a cutting tool [12,14].…”