The Impact of Process Parameters on Surface Roughness and Dimensional Accuracy during CO2 Laser Cutting of PMMA Thin Sheets

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of the laser speed and power, and the position and orientation of the samples, on the average surface roughness (Ra) and dimensional accuracy (DA) during CO2 laser cutting of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) thin sheets. A mixed five-parameter fractional factorial design was applied, and thirty-six measurements for the Ra and DA were obtained. The experimental results were analysed using ANOM diagrams, ANOVA analysis and interaction plots of all parameters. It was concluded that the laser speed is the critical parameter for both surface roughness and dimensional accuracy, resulting in strong interactions with laser power and positioning parameters. It was also shown that Ra values are affected by the orientation of the specimen and can be minimized when the samples are aligned in the laser travel direction. Finally, it was proved that lower laser speed improves the average roughness but reduces the dimensional accuracy.

Laser cutting of 3D printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plates for dimensional and surface roughness optimization

“…The tested parameters and their selected levels follow previous works and preliminary experiments [15,20,26]. The 4-mm plate thickness was selected for benchmarking with…”

“…Low power laser processing was also applied in literature to cut simple polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) thin polymeric plates for dimensional and surface improvements [15,[20][21][22][23]. Average surface roughness of 0.6 μm and kerf angles close to 0° were obtained, by varying the processing parameters (laser power, cutting speed, etc.).…”

“…This work is an experimental study about the effects of three laser cutting parameters, i.e., stand of distance (SOD), laser speed (LS), and laser power (LP), and one 3D printing parameter, raster deposition angle (RDA), on the kerf characteristics (Wu, Wm, Wd, and KA) and the surface roughness (Ra and Rt) of the laser processed kerf geometry. The parameter levels and the experimental design and modelling were inspired by previous authors' research on laser cutting of polymeric plates investigations [20,25,26].…”

Application of a Robust Decision-Making Rule for Comprehensive Assessment of Laser Cutting Conditions and Performance

“…In order to better understand the underlying physical phenomena and, ultimately, increase the technological efficiency of the laser cutting technology for a given laser cutting method and workpiece (material and thickness), a number of research studies have been conducted. Numerous recent experimental investigations have focused on the analysis of the resulting kerf geometrical characteristics including kerf width [3], kerf perpendicularity [4], kerf deviation [5], kerf angle [6], dimensional accuracy [7], and dross formation [8]. The analyses of cut surface quality characteristics, such as surface roughness [1,3], striations [9], pittings [10], and boundary layer separation [11], have attracted the attention of numerous researchers.…”

Assessment of the Technological Quality of X5CRNI18-10 Steel Parts after Laser and Abrasive Water Jet Cutting Using Synthetic Index of Technological Quality

“…In the case when the product has a complex structure, the assembly operations have a significant influence on the shaped quality, as a result of which the functional quality is obtained. On the other hand, after the product is handed over to the customer, the operating quality can be distinguished, which is greatly affected by the conditions and intensity of operation [1,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”