Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) Nd:YAG laser machining

Nowadays, carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are being widely used in transport industry due to their high mechanical properties and low weight. In this communication, laser machining is studied as an alternative to traditional mechanical machining and drilling for such materials. Nd :YAG laser machining experiments were carried out on CFRP in order to minimize the heat affected zone (HAZ) length and to study the influence of the pressure of the assistant gas N₂. Three cutting series were performed, applying different laser operation parameter (power, velocity, gain and frequency). In series 1 and 2 the pressure of the assistant gas is changed (15 bars in series 1, and 5 bars in series 2). The third series of cuts were carried out using cryogenic N₂ in order to cool around the cutting zone during laser machining. The following parameters have been studied: velocity, laser beam power, frequency, gain and assistant gas pressure. The influence of these parameters on the HAZ length and depth of the cut in the material has been obtained.