Development and analysis of plasma-assisted laser beam fusion cutting
Final Report Abstract
The research project evaluated the potential of plasma-assisted laser fusion cutting of metallic sheets. In contrast to previous work by other research groups, a non-transferred plasma arc was used for the first time in combination with a laser beam. The use of such a non-transferred plasma arc allows for a functional separation of the involved sub-processes of melting and melt ejection – just as in the conventionally applied laser cutting process: while the laser beam melts the material along the desired cut contour, the purpose of the plasma jet is aimed at blowing the molten material out from the generated cut kerf. This approach should enable a synergistic combination of the advantages of a focused laser beam for generating narrow cut kerfs with nearly parallel cut edges with the benefits of plasma cutting, which offers a low cut edge roughness at moderate gas consumption. The work was motivated by theoretical considerations arguing that – due to an increased dynamic viscosity and a reduced density of the plasma jet as compared to the commonly used cold gas jet – technological advantages can be expected from (i) a more efficient melt ejection, (ii) a reduced cut edge roughness through a laminarization of the cut kerf flow, and (iii) a significantly reduced gas consumption. To validate the working hypotheses and to clarify the derived research questions, different experimental setups were realized to investigate the potential of plasma-assisted laser beam cutting. Initial experimental series with a non-coaxial sequential setup showed promising results in a pressure range of 2 to 4 bar despite a relatively large distance between the laser-induced cutting zone and the nozzle outlet of the plasma torch. Nearly burr-free cuts were made at significantly reduced gas consumption in samples of stainless steel 1.4301 with a thickness of 6 mm. However, subsequent investigations with a coaxial arrangement of laser beam and plasma jet, as well as investigations with a modified plasma torch in a serial arrangement could not ultimately verify the originally expected technological benefits with respect to cut edge quality. As a possible reason for this outcome, accompanying theoretical simulation models showed that the targeted plasma temperatures of 10.000 K cannot be achieved in the cutting zone by use of the developed plasma torch designs.
Publications
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Numerical study of a plasma jet for plasma-assisted laser cutting, 75th IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference, July 17-22, Tokio (Japan)
S. Manzke, F. Urlau, M. Krümmer, U. Füssel, A. Mahrle & C. Leyens
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Numerical study of a plasma jet for plasma-assisted laser cutting. Welding in the World, 67(7), 1667-1677.
Manzke, Sebastian; Krümmer, Moritz; Urlau, Franz; Mahrle, Achim; Füssel, Uwe & Leyens, Christoph
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Numerische Simulation des plasmaunterstützten Laserschneidens, XI. Dresdner Fügetechnisches Kolloquium, 4.-5. Oktober 2023, Dresden
S. Manzke
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Plasma-assisted laser cutting of stainless steel: An analysis of a first prototypical setup, Proc. of the Int. Conference on Lasers in Manufacturing (LIM 2023), Munich (Germany), Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft Lasertechnik e.V., Paper (10 pp) and Presentation (Open Access)
F. Urlau, A. Mahrle, S. Manzke, M. Krümmer, C. Leyens & U. Füssel
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Numerische Simulation einer Plasmadüse für das plasmaunterstützte Laserschneiden, Ehrenkolloquium zum 75. Geburtstag von Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Ulrich Groß, 21. Januar 2025 (Online)
S. Manzke
