Comparative Experimental Investigation of Micro-channel Fabrication in Ti Alloys by Laser Ablation and Laser-induced Plasma Micro-machining

Abstract

Abstract Reliable and improved micro-fabrication processes for high-strength alloys are needed due to their increasing use in micro-scale applications. Laser-Induced Plasma Micro-Machining (LIPMM) has been shown to have several advantages over conventional direct laser ablation. In this study micro-channels are fabricated in Ti-6Al-4V, one of the difficult-to-machine materials, to compare the micro-manufacturing capabilities of direct laser ablation to LIPMM. It has been shown that LIPMM results in much deeper channels and higher aspect ratios and better machining consistency than direct laser ablation.