Optical emission monitoring for defocusing laser percussion drilling

Abstract

This paper presents a novel method for controlling the laser-drilling process for a hole by monitoring induced plasma emission. The variation of light brightness from laser-induced plasma is used as an indicator to control laser percussion drilling. Through on-line plasma emission acquisition and analysis, we obtain the positive association between the increased depth and the optical signal output. A coaxial photodiode is used to estimate the brightness levels of laser-induced plasma. The above constitute an inexpensive and practical on-line feedback system that can be easily implemented in the laser systems. All of the processing work is performed in air under standard atmospheric conditions without gas assist. The acquired signal for drilling could also be used as an input to a focus point process control scheme. Moreover, the technology demonstrates the feasibility to develop an automated laser micromachining system. Experimental results show that drilling efficiency was increased 47% by applying the proposed defocusing laser percussion drilling.