Influence of Process Parameters on Cutting Width in CO2 Laser Processing of Hardox 400 Steel

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental research that proposes to determine the influence of process parameters on CO2 laser cutting of 8 mm thick Hardox 400 steel, for which Kerf has a minimum value. The experimental research was conducted according to a complete factorial plan with laser power, assistant gas pressure and cutting speed as the input parameters, and cutting width as the dependable variable. The Design of Experiment (DOE) consisted of 27 references and was completed with four replicas to determine the variation of the Kerf average. Functional, linear and quadratic relations were determined, which describe the Kerf dependence on the cutting parameters in order to establish the most influential parameter. The results show that the independent parameter with the most significant influence was the laser power, with minimum Kerf obtained if the laser power and the assistant gas pressure were adjusted to average values. The interaction between laser power and auxiliary gas pressure at constant cutting speed was investigated to improve Kerf and reduce the laser processing cost. The study offers the right combination of process parameters that leads to a minimum value of the cutting width.

Effect of Process Parameters on the Quality of Laser-Cut Stainless Steel Thin Plates

“…Square samples were cut of 10 mm × 10 mm (Figure 1). Ninikas et al employed similar specimens when addressing laser cutting of poly methyl methacrylate sheets [29].…”

“…Square samples were cut of 10 mm × 10 mm (Figure 1). Ninikas et al employed similar specimens when addressing laser cutting of poly methyl methacrylate sheets [29]. An AlphaLaser AC200 Nd-YAG laser cutting machine (Alpha Laser, Puchheim, Germany) was used.…”

“…They found that fiber laser provided better dimensional accuracy and better roughness than the CO 2 laser. Girdu et al [29] analyzed the influence of laser power, cut pressure, and cutting speed on the cutting width of Hardox 400 parts obtained with a CO 2 laser. In order to obtain a fine cut, they propose to use the combination of laser power of 5000 W, auxiliary gas pressure of 0.50 bar, and constant cutting speed of 1900 mm/min.…”

Optimization of Tensile Strength in the Paper Material Cutting Process Based on CO2 Laser Process Parameters

“…Although invented in 1960 [ 1 ], laser technology is still considered to be a new innovative tool in manufacturing industries, and the conventional manufacturing methods remain present and widely used. As a widespread technology with distinguish efficiency and accuracy, as well as a promising future, laser cutting has been extensively applied in the cutting of various materials: wood-based materials [ 2 , 3 ], concrete [ 4 ], cement-based materials [ 5 , 6 ], polymeric materials, such as polymethyl methacrylate [ 7 , 8 , 9 ], polypropylene [ 8 ], and polystyrene [ 10 ], as well as various metallic materials: stainless steel [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ], carbon steel [ 17 ], aluminum alloy [ 17 ], and metallic plates [ 18 ]. The first use of the laser in the paper industry dates back to the 1970s, when laser was introduced for perforating cigarette paper, cutting paper, and paperboard [ 19 ].…”

Application of a Robust Decision-Making Rule for Comprehensive Assessment of Laser Cutting Conditions and Performance

“…All of the aforementioned methods ensure the determination of laser cutting conditions (regimes), i.e., particular combinations of laser cutting parameter values that represent the best possible trade-off solutions for yielding the desired performances (i.e., goals). This is an important issue in laser cutting given that the selection of the main process parameters significantly affects the cut quality and performances of laser cutting [28,[40][41][42] and the fact that improper selection may cause process inefficiency, which may result in the formation of dross, heat-affected zone, erosions along the cut surface, striations, etc. [13].…”