Experimental research on the feasibility and quality of laser-cut micro holes for the aviation industry

In many industries, including aerospace, several operations involving making holes are performed.Small-diameter holes pose a technological problem when obtaining the right diameter and achieving size and shape accuracy is difficult.Various methods are used to achieve the manufacturing goal, including laser processing.The article presents the results of experimental research on producing micro-holes with a laser of 1 mm diameter and in the range of 0.10.5 mm according to the multiple beam cutting strategy.The quality of the holes was assessed in microscopic tests, diameter measurements were performed, dimensional deviations and ovality were determined.The cutting efficiency affecting the number of beam pass repetitions was checked.It was found that cutting 1 mm is most effective at 20 W power, 20 kHz pulse frequency, 100 mm/s scanning speed and 90 paths.The dimensional spread (for 10 measurements) was 0.026 mm and the dimensional deviation was positive.For smaller holes, the most advantageous was the processing with a 20 W beam, 20 mm/s speed, 20 kHz frequency, and 20 passes for 0.5 mm (with a spread of 0.020 mm).This number decreased with decreasing diameter and for 0.1 mm it was 8.In the case of 0.10.5 mm holes a minus dimensional deviation was observed, while repeatability and accuracy decreased with decreasing diameter.