Effect of CO2 laser parameters on redwood engraving process complemented by Taguchi method

Abstract

Laser deep engraving is one of the most promising technologies to be used in wood engraving operations. In this method, a laser beam is used to ablate a solid wood bulk, following predetermined patterns. The sculpture is obtained by repeating this process on each successive thin layer. The degree of precision of the shape, the removal rate, and the surface quality during the engraving process strictly depends on the materials properties, the laser source characteristics, and the laser parameters. This work investigates the influence of the process parameters on the material removal rates by engraving redwood using a co 2 laser working with a wavelength λ = 10.6 µm. The examined parameters were: the laser power, the scanning speed, and line overlapping space; each of them has a different value (20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 W), (100, 300, 500, 700, 1000 mm min −1 ) and (0.03, 0.06, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 mm) respectively. The working parameters were designed using the L25 Taguchi methodology for the design of the experiment. Experimental results showed that the co 2 laser could successfully engrave the redwood, obtaining different engraving depths. The maximum and minimum depth obtained was 4.25 mm and 0.01 mm. the results show that the engraving depth interaction changes depending on the laser parameters.