Effect of process parameters on the kerf width during the laser cutting process

One of the deficiencies in laser cutting quality is the large size of striation formed at the cut edges. Striation formation is related to the slow drifts and disturbances in various parameters during the laser cutting process. In the present study, the effects of laser power, cutting speed and energy coupling factor on the kerf size are investigated. A simplified formulation based on the lumped parameter approach is considered for the kerf width analysis. An experiment is carried out to verify the present predictions. In addition, a kerf width formulation developed in a previous study is used to compare the predictions of the present analysis and the previous results. It is found that increasing laser power and energy coupling factor increase the kerf width size. Slight variations in laser power, cutting speed and energy coupling factor modify the kerf width size considerably, in which case the striation size increases or the striation initiates during the cutting process.