Modeling laser processing of materials

Abstract

For a long time, the complexity of the phenomena occurring during the laser exposure to the material made possible the mainly experimental selection of processing modes. The analysis of the thermal processes taking place at the same time and the programs being used require in-depth knowledge of physical phenomena, as well as broad capabilities of computing equipment, so they have become inaccessible to many researchers. Goal. The purpose of the study is to model the interaction of laser radiation with substance on the example of acrylic glass using the COMSOL Multiphysics 5.5 software package. Methodology. The scrap material for research was acrylic extrusion glass according to GOST 17622-72 and GOST 10667-99. Successful laser treatment requires maximum absorption of radiation, so a CO2 laser with a wavelength of 10.6 microns was chosen for the research. Other laser processing parameters (power 10 W, focus point diameter 1 mm, pro-menu movement speed 40 mm/s) are typical for the StoLaser Standard 4030 Mini installation. Results. The main task was modelling of the interaction of laser radiation with substance on the example of acrylic glass using the COMSOL Multiphysics 5.5 software package. The paper investigates the peculiarities and nature of the interaction of laser radiation with acrylic glass using the finite element method, as well as with the help of the COMSOL software complex, which works according to this method. A program for modelling the interaction of a laser beam with a material, in this case non-metallic, was created experimentally. A graphical distribution of heat on the surface and an isotherm of the depth of heat distribution inside the material were obtained. Scientific novelty. In this paper, a model of the passage of laser radiation through a block of dielectric material was created using the COMSOL Multiphysics package. The possibility of modeling laser processing of materials by the finite element method was proven. Practicality. The developed model can be used when choosing the modes of laser processing of various materials.