A review of modeling and simulation of laser beam machining

Laser beam machining (LBM) is a widely used thermal advance machining process capable of high accuracy machining of almost any material with complex geometries. CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers are mostly used for industrial purposes. Drilling, cutting, grooving, turning and trilling are the applications of LBM with different material removal mechanisms. Modeling and simulation of the LBM process is indispensable for optimization purposes. Modeling can be done by implementing analytical, numerical, experimental and artificial intelligence-based methods. This paper provides a review of the various methods used for modeling and simulation of the laser beam machining process as well as key researches done in this field so far. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.