Precise ablation milling with ultra short pulsed Nd:YAG lasers by optical and acoustical process control

摘要

Laser ablation milling with ultra short pulsed Nd:YAG lasers enables micro structuring in nearly all kinds of solid materials like metals, ceramics and polymers. A precise machining result with high surface quality requires a defined ablation process. Problems arise through the scatter in the resulting ablation depth of the laser beam machining process where material is removed in layers. Since the ablated volume may change due to varying absorption properties in single layers and inhomogeneities in the material, the focal plane might deviate from the surface of the work piece when the next layer is machined. Thus the focal plane has to be adjusted after each layer. A newly developed optical and acoustical process control enables an in-process adjustment of the focal plane that leads to defined process conditions and thus to better ablation results. The optical process control is realized by assistance of a confocal white light sensor. It enables an automated work piece orientation before machining and an inline ablation depth monitoring. The optical device can be integrated for an online or offline process control. Both variants will be presented and discussed. A further approach for adjustment of the focal plane is the acoustical process control. Acoustic emissions are detected while laser beam machining. A signal analysis of the airborne sound spectrum emitted by the process enables conclusions about the focal position of the laser beam. Based on this correlation an acoustic focus positioning is built up. The focal plane can then be adjusted automatically before ablation.