SmartPierce™ Enables Production of Part With Thousands of 0.2 mm Diameter Holes

LASERDYNE precision laser processing systems are known for their flexibility, which is just one of the reasons they are widely used by job shops, model shops, and tool rooms of OEM manufacturers.

Another example that highlights the flexibility of these systems is illustrated in the picture at the right.

A set of parts, each containing approximately 10,000 holes 0.2 mm diameter in 1 mm thick stainless steel was producing using a LASERDYNE 795XL with 20 kW QCW fiber laser, the same system that was earlier demonstrated in drilling 0.6 mm (and larger) diameter, 20 mm long holes in high temperature alloys. This system has also been used for cutting and welding a wide range of materials and thicknesses.

The holes were produced by trepanning using 2 kW peak power (of the 20 kW available) and a standard 200 mm focal length lens assembly, the same one used for the vast majority of cutting, welding, and drilling applications. This focal length produces a focused beam diameter consistent with the required hole diameter considering the optics configuration (delivery fiber diameter, collimator) of the system and gives a relatively long depth of focus to minimize taper of the holes.

Key to producing the pattern were the following features of the LASERDYNE product line:

• AFC (Automatic Focus Control) to ensure a consistent location of the laser beam focal point relative to the surface. Since the delivery time for the parts was critical, there was not enough time to produce fixturing to ensure flatness of the stainless steel sheet during drilling.
• SmartPierce™, a LASERDYNE exclusive feature involving advanced laser control, to minimize drilling debris on the part surface and to minimize distortion of the part.
• Standard chrome plated Prima Power nozzle tip that significantly reduces the amount of material from the hole that adheres to the nozzle.