Laser Beam Micromachining– A Review

Abstract

Abstract-Laser essentially is a coherent, monochromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation that can propagate in a straight line with negligible divergence and occur in a wide range of wavelength (ranging from ultra-violet to infrared). Lasers are widely used in manufacturing, communication, measurement and medical. Energy density of the laser beam can be altered by varying the wavelength. This property has made the lasers proficient for removing extremely small amount of material and has led to the use of lasers to manufacture very small features in work piece materials. The production of miniature features (dimensions from 1 µm to 999 µm) in sheet materials using laser machining is termed as laser micromachining.In the present study, the fundamental understanding of short and ultra-short laser ablation process has been explained. The critical analysis of various theoretical and experimental studies is used to describe the performance of laser beam micromachining (LBMM) on some of the advanced engineering materials.