Laser-induced plasma investigations during material processing

Abstract

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), a versatile analytical tool used to determine sample compositions, has recently been applied to monitor and control of laser material processing. By observing the induced plasma during laser machining, information about e.g. the relative amount of ablated material is obtained, and thus an insight of the current processing stage can be estimated. The aim of this project is to utilize the ablation plasma as a monitoring signal during laser material processing. This allows an improvement in the processing quality and feed rate by means of spectroscopic analysis, based on the fact that plasma characteristics depend on the properties of the ablated surface and laser parameters. Experimental studies showed useful correlations between material processing parameters and spectroscopic plasma signal. The presence of such characteristic patterns in the spectral data can be used to implement a control strategy to guarantee an efficient material removal rate.Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), a versatile analytical tool used to determine sample compositions, has recently been applied to monitor and control of laser material processing. By observing the induced plasma during laser machining, information about e.g. the relative amount of ablated material is obtained, and thus an insight of the current processing stage can be estimated. The aim of this project is to utilize the ablation plasma as a monitoring signal during laser material processing. This allows an improvement in the processing quality and feed rate by means of spectroscopic analysis, based on the fact that plasma characteristics depend on the properties of the ablated surface and laser parameters. Experimental studies showed useful correlations between material processing parameters and spectroscopic plasma signal. The presence of such characteristic patterns in the spectral data can be used to implement a control strategy to guarantee an efficient material removal rate.