On melt flow visualization in high-power fiber laser cutting

Process visualization is typically used to explore different phenomena involved in laser material processing. The interaction between the laser beam and the workpiece material creates different emission sources during the laser cutting process, as a result of material heating, beam reflection and scattering, which can be visualized with the appropriate hardware. The recently growing industrial interest in fiber lasers has led to contributions demonstrating the importance of the melt flow dynamics on cut quality and process performance, especially considering the effect of multiple reflections during cutting with a 1 mu m wavelength. Within this work, the cutting process with a 4 kW Ytterbium fiber laser is visualized by means of different approaches and the relationship between them is investigated. Moreover, the melt flow dynamics is also observed in the trim-cut configuration to analyze the cutting front geometry with boundary conditions close to industrial processing. Eventually, the requirements for real-time process monitoring and guidelines for laser cutting visualization are formulated.

Automated summary

The paper focuses on the visualization of different phenomena involved in laser material processing, particularly emphasizing the importance of melt flow dynamics on cut quality and process performance. The cutting process with a 4 kW Ytterbium fiber laser is visualized using various approaches, and the relationship between them is examined. Melt flow dynamics is also observed in the trim-cut configuration to analyze the cutting front geometry.