Analysis of fiber laser microgrooving characteristics of Ti6Al4V

Abstract

Pulsed diode-pumped fiber lasers offer excellent performance for diverse micromachining applications across a variety of engineering materials, including superalloys, ceramics, and composites. Due to the extensive and promising applications of Ti6Al4V in various fields, including automotive, electronics, aerospace, and biomedical engineering, laser microgrooving on Ti6Al4V is in high demand today. The study examines how process variables, including laser power, scan rate, pulse rate, and number of passes, affect laser microgrooving characteristics like width, length, depth of microgroove, and heat-affected-zone width thickness. Experimental findings revealed that to create smooth grooves with lower heat-affected zone on titanium alloy, process parametric settings such as laser power of 10 W, pulse frequency of 90 kHz, scan rate of 30 mm/s, and two passes were recommended. Attempts were also made to create a microgroove on a cylindrical workpiece using the above set of process variables, but the rotation of the job is another critical factor that must be considered to achieve the desired groove geometry.