Change of dominant material properties in laser perforation process with high-energy lasers up to 120 kilowatt.

In laser materials processing, energy losses due to reflection, heat conduction and thermal radiation play an important role. In this publication, we show that with increasing laser intensity, the energy lost within the sample becomes less important for metal perforation processes. We compare the laser-matter interaction of aluminum and steel plates.

2D and 3D Triangulation Are Suitable In Situ Measurement Tools for High-Power Large Spot Laser Penetration Processes to Visualize Depressions and Protrusions before Perforating.

During laser penetration, the irradiated samples form a melt pool before perforation. Knowledge of the dynamics of this melt pool is of interest for the correct physical description of the process and leads to improved simulations. However, a direct investigation, especially at the location of high-power laser interaction with large spot diameters in the centimeter range is missing until now.