|
Types of Laser Processing |
|
There are six main categories of processes used in the Photonics Cluster laser micromachining suite:
- Single Shot Drilling: drilling through with a single pulse, rare in micromachining.
- Percussion Drilling: drilling through with a series of pulses.
- Trepan drilling: drilling using a series of pulses and moving either the beam or component in a circular path.
- Cutting: Cutting through using a series of pulses and moving either the component or beam.
- Etching/milling: removing material to a defined depth by controlling the pulse energy and number of pulses per location.
- Marking: changing the surface appearance either by material removal or colour change, e.g. by oxidisation.
|
|
Samples of Laser Processing |
50 micron hole in 1mm thick stainless steel
Micro milling: top: copper on kapton, bottom: aluminium on polymer.
Laser drilling automotive gasoline injector.
Film of laser cutting, using the Photonics Cluster’s Oxford Lasers Processing System.
|
|
The Photonics Cluster laboratories have two laser machining systems, an Oxford Lasers NdVO4 532 nm system and a New Wave Research frequency quadrupled Nd: YAG 266 nm system.
| Oxford Lasers | New Wave Research |
| Laser Type | Diode pumped solid state | Flashlamp |
| Wavelength | 532 nm | 266 nm |
| Peak Power/Energy | 10 W | 3 mJ |
| Maximum pulse rate | 10 kHz | 20 Hz |
| Pulse width | 5 nanoseconds | 5 nanoseconds |
| Minimum spot size | 6 microns | 5 microns |
The laser micromachining suite is available for use in a wide variety of applications, including biomedical (spotting pins and nozzles for drug delivery), automotive (fabricating fuel injectors), electronics (PCB components, for instance, trimming resistors and capacitors), arts and design and IT (inject printer heads). |
|
|
|
|
