Laser Surface Texturing of Co-Cr-Mo Alloy for Biomedical Applications: A Case Study for the Effects of Process Parameters on Surface Properties

This study presents a comprehensive approach to applying texturing processes created by engraving on the surface of CoCr28Mo alloy workpieces using a 20 W pulsed nanosecond fiber laser. The hatch strategy and distance, frequency, and scan speed were control parameters for texturing applications. The effectiveness of the parameters in terms of roughness and contact angle of the texturized surface was investigated. Surface roughness and contact angle were analyzed using variance analysis to identify each variable's influence. It has been determined that the roughness of the texture defined by the hatch strategy plays a decisive role in the wettability behavior of the surface; however, the scan speed, frequency, and hatch distance which are among the laser surface texturing conditions are influential in the roughness and contact angle. Increasing scan speed and hatch distance while decreasing frequency resulted in smoother surfaces, increasing the contact angle. Textures having rough surfaces produced with different processing conditions exhibit a super hydrophilic behavior. The contact angle is most sensitive to the hatch distance; however, the frequency has the least influence on the contact angle. The most and least efficient surface roughness parameters are revealed to be scan speed and hatch distance, respectively.

Automated summary

This study presents a comprehensive approach to applying texturing processes by a pulsed nanosecond fiber laser on the surface of CoCr28Mo alloy workpieces. The hatch strategy and distance, frequency, and scan speed were controlled to investigate their effectiveness on the roughness and contact angle of the texturized surface. The results showed that the roughness defined by the hatch strategy plays a decisive role in the wettability behavior, while the scan speed, frequency, and hatch distance are influential in the roughness and contact angle. Increasing scan speed and hatch distance, and decreasing frequency resulted in smoother surfaces with higher contact angles.