Laser drilling of natural granite plates

Following previous work focused on the laser processing of natural stones, we present in this paper the results of the study carried out to verify the feasibility of the lasers to drill granite plates. The influence of the different parameters involved in the process, such as, average power, assist gas pressure, pulse frequency, stand-off distance, etc…, have been studied to characterize the drilled holes size and geometry. Results from the different tests show that it is possible to obtain holes according to the required dimensions at reasonable powers. Holes up to 2 mm can be achieved in a very reduced time. The overall results show that the laser drilling technique could be an alternative to mechanical drilling of slabs of natural granite to be used in ventilated façades