Determination of the Machining Parameters of Nickel-based Alloys by High-Power Diode Laser

Nickel-based alloys have good mechanical properties and excellent resistance to many corrosive environments, alongside a high degree of toughness and strength at high temperatures. However, nickel-based superalloys are extremely difficult-to-cut materials. The advantages of a laser-assisted machining (LAM) process are a decrease in cutting force and tool wear, an increase in the surface roughness and an increase in the material removal rate (MRR). Thermal analysis by the finite element method (FEM) and machining experiments on nickel-based alloys by LAM are carried out in this paper. The experiments focus on the measurement of the cutting force and surface roughness under a variety of processing conditions to improve the surface quality. The results of this study can be applied for the similar difficult-to-cut materials.