Multi-objective optimization of Nd:YAG laser cutting of nickel-based superalloy sheet using orthogonal array with principal component analysis

Laser cutting of nickel-based superalloy sheets, having wide applications in aircraft and rocket industries, is important from the quality of cut point of view. Keeping this in view, a hybrid approach of Taguchi method (TM) and principal component analysis (PCA) has been applied for multi-objective optimization (MOO) of pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam cutting (LBC) of nickel-based superalloy (SUPERNI 718) sheet to achieve better cut qualities within existing resources. The three-quality characteristics kerf width, kerf deviation (along the length of cut), and kerf taper have been considered for simultaneous optimization. The input parameters considered are assist gas pressure, pulse width, pulse frequency, and cutting speed. Initially, single-objective optimization has been performed using TM and then the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios obtained from TM have been further used in PCA for multi-objective optimization. The results of MOO include the prediction of optimum input parameter level and their relative significance on multiple quality characteristics (MQC). The responses at predicted optimum parameter level are in good agreement with the results of confirmation experiments conducted for verification tests.     

Modelling and optimization of cut quality during pulsed Nd:YAG laser cutting of thin Al-alloy sheet for straight profile

Thin sheets of aluminium alloys are widely used in aerospace and automotive industries for specific applications. Nd:YAG laser beam cutting is one of the most promising sheetmetal cutting process for cutting sheets for any profile. Al-alloy sheets are difficult to cut by laser beam because of its highly reflective nature. This paper presents modelling and optimization of cut quality during pulsed Nd:YAG laser cutting of thin Al-alloy sheet for straight profile. In the present study, four input process parameters such as oxygen pressure, pulse width, pulse frequency, and cutting speed and two output parameters such as average kerf taper (T_a) and average surface roughness (R_a) are considered. The hybrid approach comprising of Taguchi methodology (TM) and response surface methodology (RSM) is used for modelling whereas multi-objective optimization is performed using hybrid approach of TM and grey relational analysis (GRA) coupled with entropy measurement methodology. The entropy measurement methodology is employed for the calculation of weight corresponding to each quality characteristic. The results indicate that the hybrid approaches applied for modelling and optimization of the LBC process are reasonable.     

Multi-objective optimization of Nd:YAG laser cutting of thin superalloy sheet using grey relational analysis with entropy measurement

This paper presents a hybrid optimization approach for the determination of the optimum laser cutting process parameters which minimize the kerf width, kerf taper, and kerf deviation together during pulsed Nd:YAG laser cutting of a thin sheet of nickel-based superalloy SUPERNI 718 (an equivalent grade to Inconel 718). A hybrid approach of Taguchi methodology and grey relational analysis has been applied to achieve better cut qualities within existing resources. The input process parameters considered are oxygen pressure, pulse width, pulse frequency, and cutting speed. A higher resolution based L₂₇ orthogonal array has been used for conducting the experiments for both straight and curved cut profiles. The designed experimental results are used in grey relational analysis and the weights of the quality characteristics are determined by employing the entropy measurement method. The significant parameters were obtained by performing analysis of variance (ANOVA). The optimized parameters for straight and curved laser cut profiles have been compared. On the basis of optimization results it has been found that the optimal parameter level suggested for straight cut profiles are not valid for curved cut profiles. The application of the hybrid approach for straight cuts has reduced K_t and K_d by 52.37% and 17%, respectively. For curved cuts the approach has reduced K_w and K_t by 8.45% and 44.44%, respectively. The results have also been verified by running confirmation tests.     

Use of the grey relational analysis to determine optimum laser cutting parameters with multi-performance characteristics

This paper presents an effective approach for the optimization of laser cutting process of St-37 steel with multiple performance characteristics based on the grey relational analysis. Sixteen experimental runs based on the Taguchi method of orthogonal arrays were performed to determine the best factor level condition. The response table and response graph for each level of the machining parameters were obtained from the grey relational grade. In this study, the laser cutting parameters such as laser power and cutting speed are optimized with consideration of multiple-performance characteristics, such as workpiece surface roughness, top kerf width and width of heat affected zone (HAZ). By analyzing the grey relational grade, it is observed that the laser power has more effect on responses rather than cutting speed. It is clearly shown that the above performance characteristics in laser cutting process can be improved effectively through this approach.     

The use of grey relational analysis to determine laser cutting parameters for QFN packages with multiple performance characteristics

This paper reports an application of the grey relational analysis (GRA) to directly optimize laser cutting of a quad flat non-lead (QFN) strip using six performance characteristics. The most important performance characteristics include the cutting depth, the width of heat affected zone (HAZ), and the width of cutting line for both epoxy and Cu+epoxy materials along the cutting path. During the GRA, higher grades are obtained from any of the deeper (more complete) cutting depth, reduced widths of the HAZ and reduced widths of the cutting line. From nine experiments based on the orthogonal array of L9(3⁴), a current of 29 A, a frequency of 2 kHz, and a cutting speed of 2 mm/s were found to be the best parameters for laser cutting of a QFN strip with a thickness of 0.9 mm. Moreover, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) is also employed to determine the contribution of each control parameter on the cutting quality characteristics. The three largest measured contributions on the cutting quality in decreasing order are the frequency, the current, and the cutting speed. Compared with the Taguchi optimization method, the GRA approach is significantly simpler because it directly assigns appropriate weighting factors to the required qualities. Finally, confirmation experiments are performed to ensure the robustness of the GRA predicted optimal configuration for laser cutting a QFN strip.     

Theoretical and experimental investigations on rotary ultrasonic surface micro-machining of brittle materials

Many brittle materials, such as single-crystal materials, amorphous materials, and ceramics, are widely used in many industries such as the energy industry, aerospace industry, and biomedical industry. In recent years, there is an increasing demand for high-precision micro-machining of these brittle materials to produce precision functional parts. Traditional ultra-precision micro-machining can lead to workpiece cracking, low machined surface quality, and reduced tool life. To reduce and further solve these problems, a new micro-machining process is needed. As one of the nontraditional machining processes, rotary ultrasonic machining is an effective method to reduce the issues generated by traditional machining processes of brittle materials. Therefore, rotary ultrasonic micro-machining (RUμM) is investigated to conduct the surface micro-machining of brittle materials. Due to the small diameter cutting tool (<500 μm) and high accuracy requirements, the impact of input parameters in the rotary ultrasonic surface micro-machining (RUSμM) process on tool deformation and cutting quality is extremely different from that in rotary ultrasonic surface machining (RUSM) with relatively large diameter cutting tool (∼10 mm). Up till now, there is still no investigation on the effects of ultrasonic vibration (UV) and input variables (such as tool rotation speed and depth of cut) on cutting force and machined surface quality in RUSμM of brittle materials. To fill this knowledge gap, rotary ultrasonic surface micro-machining of the silicon wafer (one of the most versatile brittle materials) was conducted in this study. The effects of ultrasonic vibration, tool rotation speed, and depth of cut on tool trajectory, material removal rate (MRR), cutting force, cutting surface quality, and residual stress were investigated. Results show that the ultrasonic vibration could reduce the cutting force, improve the cutting surface quality, and suppress the residual compressive stress, especially under conditions with high tool rotation speed.     

Parameters optimization of laser brazing in crimping butt using Taguchi and BPNN-GA

The laser brazing (LB) is widely used in the automotive industry due to the advantages of high speed, small heat affected zone, high quality of welding seam, and low heat input. Welding parameters play a significant role in determining the bead geometry and hence quality of the weld joint. This paper addresses the optimization of the seam shape in LB process with welding crimping butt of 0.8 mm thickness using back propagation neural network (BPNN) and genetic algorithm (GA). A 3-factor, 5-level welding experiment is conducted by Taguchi L₂₅ orthogonal array through the statistical design method. Then, the input parameters are considered here including welding speed, wire speed rate, and gap with 5 levels. The output results are efficient connection length of left side and right side, top width (WT) and bottom width (WB) of the weld bead. The experiment results are embed into the BPNN network to establish relationship between the input and output variables. The predicted results of the BPNN are fed to GA algorithm that optimizes the process parameters subjected to the objectives. Then, the effects of welding speed (WS), wire feed rate (WF), and gap (GAP) on the sum values of bead geometry is discussed. Eventually, the confirmation experiments are carried out to demonstrate the optimal values were effective and reliable. On the whole, the proposed hybrid method, BPNN-GA, can be used to guide the actual work and improve the efficiency and stability of LB process.     

Laser cutting of polymeric materials: An experimental investigation

The CO₂ laser cutting of three polymeric materials namely polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is investigated with the aim of evaluating the effect of the main input laser cutting parameters (laser power, cutting speed and compressed air pressure) on laser cutting quality of the different polymers and developing model equations relating input process parameters with the output. The output quality characteristics examined were heat affected zone (HAZ), surface roughness and dimensional accuracy. Twelve sets of tests were carried out for each of the polymer based on the central composite design. Predictive models have been developed by response surface methodology (RSM). First-order response models for HAZ and surface roughness were presented and their adequacy was tested by analysis of variance (ANOVA). It was found that the response is well modeled by a linear function of the input parameters. Response surface contours of HAZ and surface roughness were generated. Mathematical model equations have been presented that estimate HAZ and surface roughness for various input laser cutting parameters. Dimensional accuracies of laser cutting on polymers were examined by dimensional deviation of the actual value from the nominal value. From the analysis, it has been observed that PMMA has less HAZ, followed by PC and PP. For surface roughness, PMMA has better cut edge surface quality than PP and PC. The response models developed can be used for practical purposes by the manufacturing industry. However, all three polymeric materials showed similar diameter errors tendency in spite of different material properties.     

A statistical approach to determine process parameter impact in Nd:YAG laser drilling of IN718 and Ti-6Al-4V sheets

The numerous unique advantages afforded by pulsed Nd:YAG laser systems have led to their increasing utility for producing high aspect ratio holes in a wide range of materials. Notwithstanding the growing industrial acceptance of the technique, the increasingly tighter geometrical tolerances and more stringent hole quality requirements of modern industrial components demand that “defects” such as taper, recast, spatter etc., in laser-drilled holes are minimized. Process parameters like pulse energy, pulse repetition rate, pulse duration, focal position, nozzle standoff, type of gas and gas pressure of the assist gas are known to significantly influence hole quality during laser drilling. The present study reports the use of Taguchi design of experiments technique to study the effects of the above process variables on the quality of the drilled holes and ascertain optimum processing conditions. Minimum taper in the drilled hole was considered as the desired target response. The entire study was conducted in three phases:(a) screening experiments, to identify process variables that critically influence taper in laser drilled holes, (b) Optimization experiments, to ascertain the set of parameters that would yield minimum taper and (c) validation trials, to assess the validity of the experimental procedures and results. Results indicate that laser drilling with focal position on the surface of the material being drilled and employing low level values of pulse duration and pulse energy represents the ideal conditions to achieve minimum taper in laser-drilled holes. Thorough assessment of results also reveals that the laser-drilling process, optimized considering taper in the drilled hole as the target response, leads to very significant improvements in respect of other hole quality attributes of interest such as spatter and recast as well.     

Modeling and optimization on Nd:YAG laser turned micro-grooving of cylindrical ceramic material

Nd:YAG laser turning is a new technique for manufacturing micro-grooves on cylindrical surface of ceramic materials needed for the present day precision industries. The importance of laser turning has directed the researchers to search how accurately micro-grooves can be obtained in cylindrical parts. In this paper, laser turning process parameters have been determined for producing square micro-grooves on cylindrical surface. The experiments have been performed based on the statistical five level central composite design techniques. The effects of laser turning process parameters i.e. lamp current, pulse frequency, pulse width, cutting speed (revolution per minute, rpm) and assist gas pressure on the quality of the laser turned micro-grooves have been studied. A predictive model for laser turning process parameters is created using a feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN) technique utilized the experimental observation data based on response surface methodology (RSM). The optimization problem has been constructed based on RSM and solved using multi-objective genetic algorithm (GA). The neural network coupled with genetic algorithm can be effectively utilized to find the optimum parameter value for a specific laser micro-turning condition in ceramic materials. The optimal process parameter settings are found as lamp current of 19 A, pulse frequency of 3.2 kHz, pulse width of 6% duty cycle, cutting speed as 22 rpm and assist air pressure of 0.13 N/mm² for achieving the predicted minimum deviation of upper width of ?0.0101 mm, lower width 0.0098 mm and depth ?0.0069 mm of laser turned micro-grooves.     

Optimized laser cutting on light guide plates using grey relational analysis

This paper present the optimum conditions for direct CO₂ laser cutting of 6-mm-thick polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) for backlit module applications. The influence of the major processing parameters on the optical transmittance ratio and surface roughness of cut samples material have been discussed. In order to assess the effects of several operational parameters on multiple-performance characteristics, we applied the grey relational analysis method. In this paper, we studied the effects of several laser direct cut parameters, such as assisted gas-flow rate, pulse repetition frequency, cutting speed, and focus position to achieve optimum characteristics for two product characteristics, optical transmittance ratio and work-piece surface roughness. The study involved nine experiments based on an orthogonal array, and results indicate the optimal process parameters as 20 NL/min for assisted-gas flow rate, 5 kHz for pulse repetition frequency, 2 mm/s for cutting speed, and 0 mm for laser focusing position. Additionally, by analyzing the grey relational grade, we found that the assisted-gas flow rate has more influence than any other single parameter.     

Underwater femtosecond laser micromachining of thin nitinol tubes for medical coronary stent manufacture

Microprofiling of medical coronary stents has been dominated by the use of Nd:YAG lasers with pulse lengths in the range of a few milliseconds, and material removal is based on the melt ejection with a high-pressure gas. As a result, recast and heat-affected zones are produced, and various post-processing procedures are required to remove these defects. This paper reports a new approach of machining stents in submerged conditions using a 100-fs pulsed laser. A?comparison is given of dry and underwater femtosecond laser micromachining techniques of nickel–titanium alloy (nitinol) typically used as the material for coronary stents. The characteristics of laser interactions with the material have been studied. A femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser system (wavelength of 800?nm, pulse duration of 100?fs, repetition rate of 1?kHz) was used to perform the cutting process. It is observed that machining under a thin water film resulted in no presence of heat-affected zone, debris, spatter or recast with fine-cut surface quality. At the optimum parameters, the results obtained with dry cutting showed nearly the same cut surface quality as with cutting under water. However, debris and recast formation still appeared on the dry cut, which is based on material vaporization. Physical processes involved during the cutting process in a thin water film, i.e. bubble formation and shock waves, are discussed.     

Process characterization and statistical analysis of oxide CMP on a silicon wafer with sparse data

Continuous advancements in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process, such as new polishing pads, slurry materials, and abrasive particles necessitate optimization of the key process input parameters for maximum material removal rate (MRR) and/or minimum within wafer non-uniformity (WIWNU) using sparse experimental results. In this investigation a methodology is proposed for developing process models and optimization of input parameters (both main and interaction parameters) for maximum MRR and minimum WIWNU. This approach will be equally applicable for polishing other materials, such as copper, dielectrics and low-k materials. Complex relationships exist between several machine-specific and material-specific input parameters and the output performance variables, chiefly MRR and WIWNU. However, only a few of the input parameters are changed on a regular basis. Hence, only those subsets of relationships need to be considered for optimizing the CMP process. In this investigation, CMP process was characterized for polishing a thin layer of silicon dioxide on top of a silicon wafer. Statistical analysis of the experimental data was performed to obtain the order of significance of the input variables (machine and material parameters and their interactions). Both linear and logarithmic regression models were developed and used to determine optimum process conditions for maximizing MRR and minimizing WIWNU. While the main input parameters were responsible for maximum MRR, interaction parameters were found to be responsible for minimizing WIWNU. This may vary for different materials and polishing environments. PACS 81.00.00; 81.05.Gc; 81.65.Ps     

Characteristics of wavelength conversion of short optical pulses in quantum dot semiconductor optical amplifiers

The characteristics of short optical pulse four-wave mixing (FWM) and amplification in quantum dot semiconductor optical amplifiers (QD-SOAs) are investigated taken into account the effect of the multi-discrete QD energy levels. Different saturation and recovery response for the electron and hole states are observed, which is attributed to different energy spacing between the energy states. We found that the 3 dB saturation energy of QD-SOA depends on the pulse width for short input pulses. Also, the optimum time delay between the probe and pump pulses in QD-SOAs, which provides maximum FWM efficiency in QD-SOAs, is smaller than the optimum delay in quantum well SOA.     

Multi-objective optimization of laser-scribed micro grooves on AZO conductive thin film using Data Envelopment Analysis

Laser scribing process has been considered as an effective approach for surface texturization on thin film solar cell. In this study, a systematic method for optimizing multi-objective process parameters of fiber laser system was proposed to achieve excellent quality characteristics, such as the minimum scribing line width, the flattest trough bottom, and the least processing edge surface bumps for increasing incident light absorption of thin film solar cell. First, the Taguchi method (TM) obtained useful statistical information through the orthogonal array with relatively fewer experiments. However, TM is only appropriate to optimize single-objective problems and has to rely on engineering judgment for solving multi-objective problems that can cause uncertainty to some degree. The back-propagation neural network (BPNN) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) were utilized to estimate the incomplete data and derive the optimal process parameters of laser scribing system. In addition, analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was also applied to identify the significant factors which have the greatest effects on the quality of scribing process; in other words, by putting more emphasis on these controllable and profound factors, the quality characteristics of the scribed thin film could be effectively enhanced. The experiments were carried out on ZnO:Al (AZO) transparent conductive thin film with a thickness of 500 nm and the results proved that the proposed approach yields better anticipated improvements than that of the TM which is only superior in improving one quality while sacrificing the other qualities. The results of confirmation experiments have showed the reliability of the proposed method.     

Multi-objective optimization of weld geometry in hybrid fiber laser-arc butt welding using Kriging model and NSGA-II

An integrated multi-objective optimization approach combining Kriging model and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) is proposed to predict and optimize weld geometry in hybrid fiber laser-arc welding on 316L stainless steel in this paper. A four-factor, five-level experiment using Taguchi L₂₅ orthogonal array is conducted considering laser power (P), welding current (I), distance between laser and arc (D) and traveling speed (V). Kriging models are adopted to approximate the relationship between process parameters and weld geometry, namely depth of penetration (DP), bead width (BW) and bead reinforcement (BR). NSGA-II is used for multi-objective optimization taking the constructed Kriging models as objective functions and generates a set of optimal solutions with pareto-optimal front for outputs. Meanwhile, the main effects and the first-order interactions between process parameters are analyzed. Microstructure is also discussed. Verification experiments demonstrate that the optimum values obtained by the proposed integrated Kriging model and NSGA-II approach are in good agreement with experimental results.     

Experimental study on pulse propagation characteristics at normal dispersion region in dispersion flatted fibers

Pulse propagation characteristics at normal-dispersion region in dispersion-flatted-fibers are experimentally investigated by employing the second-harmonic generation frequency-resolved optical gating (SHG-FROG) method. It is found that the experimental results are consistent with the theoretical prediction. The initial optical pulse with negative chirp is compressed for nonlinear effect in the normal-dispersion fiber, and it evolves into near Gaussian pulse. Temporal width of the optical pulse decreases with the increase of the input power and propagation distance. The output pulse width for small dispersion is less than that for great dispersion at the same input power. The spectrum of the output pulse is still symmetrical about the central wavelength, and is broadened with the increase of input power. The spectral width of the output pulse is much wider than the input spectral width.     

Multi-objective optimization of laser cutting for flash memory modules with special shapes using grey relational analysis

This paper presents a novel effective method for optimizing laser cutting of specially shaped electronic printed circuit board (PCB) carrier substrates of advanced integrated circuit (IC) back-end packages that have multiple performance characteristics identified using grey relational analysis (GRA). Laser cutting parameters, including laser beam parameters (average laser power and Q-switch frequency), focusing parameters (laser beam focusing spot size), and machine parameters (laser cutting speed), were optimized based on multiple performance characteristics. Some characteristics of the specially shaped flash memory module for IC packages, such as smart disk (SD) cards are verified. The characteristics of interest are the average surface roughness on a PCB substrate cross-section, and the maximum width of the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Eight experiments were conducted using GRA to optimize the settings for laser beam cutting parameters to generate various quality characteristics. Analysis of the grey relational grade indicates that parameter significance and the optimal parameter combination for the laser cutting process are identified. The analytical results from two confirmation experiments using the optimal parameters confirm that laser cutting technology can be effectively applied to cut substrates into special shapes.     

锂离子动力电池极片的激光切割分析

为适应锂离子动力电池行业发展需求,寻求一种高效高质切片方式,本文研究了多种激光器的切片质量。通过影像测量仪和扫描电镜(SEM)对比发现,100 ns脉宽调Q型1 064 nm光纤激光器切割正极铝箔时毛刺和热影响区(HAZ)约为15μm和60μm,切负极铜箔时HAZ约为200μm; 20 ns脉宽的MOPA光纤激光器切割铝箔毛刺10μm,HAZ约为20μm,切铜箔时HAZ约70μm;脉宽为10 ps的固体激光器切割铝箔毛刺和HAZ分别约为6μm和10μm,切铜箔时实现无熔融重凝区; 20 ns脉宽的355 nm紫外和532 nm的绿光固体激光器切割铝箔HAZ分别为10μm和17μm,切铜箔时HAZ则分别为大于70μm和100μm。实验结果表明:脉宽越窄,重复频率越高,切割的极片质量越好,ps激光器切割的极片精度最高,质量最好,是切割极片最理想激光器。而目前,频率高、脉宽相对窄的MOPA光纤激光器切割速度最高,切割的正极片完全满足工业要求,更适合极片切割的工业推广。     

稀薄空气中圆柱腔体内系统电磁脉冲的混合模拟

系统电磁脉冲广泛存在于强电离辐射环境中,且难以有效屏蔽.为了评估稀薄空气对系统电磁脉冲的影响,本文基于粒子-流体混合模拟方法,建立了三维非稳态模型,计算并分析了稀薄空气等离子体的特性以及其与电磁场响应的相互作用.结果表明,压力越高,光电子发射面附近的次级电子数密度越高,轴向分布的梯度越大,腔体中部的电子数密度在20 Torr(1 Torr=133 Pa)下出现峰值,而电子温度随压力升高单调递减.腔体内的稀薄空气等离子体阻碍了空间电荷层的产生,电场响应峰值比真空条件下的低了一个数量级,电场脉冲宽度也显著降低.光电子运动特性决定了电流响应的峰值,压力升高,到达腔体末端的电流先增加再减小.而等离子体电流会抑制总电流的上升速率,并使电流响应出现拖尾.最后,将数值模拟结果与电子束模拟系统电磁脉冲的实验结果进行比较,验证了本文混合模拟模型的可靠性.本研究所采用的混合模拟方法相比于粒子云网格-蒙特卡罗碰撞方法,大幅减小了计算消耗.