Micromachining of CFRP with Short Pulse Lasers

Abstract

We have been investigating material processing of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) with short pulse lasers in order to control mechanical and thermal damages [1]. While short pulse lasers enable us to process the CFRP with less thermal damages compared to CW lasers, machining speed tends to be slow due to the limited average power of the laser system. Hence, we focus our attention on micromachining of sub-mm thick CFRP. The short pulse lasers are advantageous to the micromachining of the thin composite material because of the precise cutting quality with minimal HAZ. Considering the excellent mechanical and thermal properties of carbon fibers, the CFRP has potentials to replace metals and would be useful for innovative devices in various industries. It has to be noticed that there are two types of Carbon fibers (CF), PAN-type and Pitch-type [2]. In order to clarify the effects of types of CF in short pulse laser processing, we performed the simple cutting experiments using UV-ps (266nm/35ps) laser pulses. Varying laser power, and scanning speed, we observed SEM images of samples. We also measured times to cut through the samples.