Papers by Keyword: Laser Polishing

Abstract: In order to study the influence of different initial topography on the molten pool flow under a moving heat source, the finite element analysis method was used to establish a two-dimensional transient model of laser polishing to simulate the evolution of the surface topography of the material during laser polishing. In the simulation process, a moving laser beam was used as the heat source, and the free surface of the actual material was profiled through a three-dimensional profiler. A very similar simulation model surface was constructed, coupled with the flow field and temperature field in the laser polishing process, and the capillary force was considered comprehensively. Combined with thermocapillary force. The results show that under the combined action of capillary force and thermocapillary force, the surface of the polished material has a peak-filling effect, which makes the surface of the material achieve a good polishing effect. The initial shape will affect the polishing effect, the greater the curvature, the faster the flow rate of the molten pool. In molten pools with large spatial curvatures, capillary forces dominate. Keywords: Laser polishing; molten pool; surface topography; numerical analysis; capillary force; thermocapillary force.

Abstract: The different initial morphologies of polished surface is one of the important factors affecting the quality of laser polishing. In order to investigate the flow characteristics of the molten pool with different morphologies, a two-dimensional (2D) axisymmetric numerical model is established based on the COMSOL software. The nonisothermal flow interface is used to couple the heat transfer and fluid flow, and simulate the evolution process of the molten pool with three different surface morphologies. The results show that the initial shape is a smooth plane, the flow velocity of the molten pool is stable and always in thermocapillary regime, then the protrusions were generated at the edge of the molten pool. Likewise, with the increase of the surface curvature, the capillary becomes the main driving force to eliminate the surface asperities. While the flow velocity and instability of the molten pool enhance, and the depth of the molten pool increases with the heat transfer generated by the mass flow along the z-axis direction.

Abstract: In cold forming of aluminum, various lubricants and coatings are typically used to reduce friction and wear, resulting in higher workpiece surface quality. The preparation of the workpiece surfaces and the cleaning of the products after the forming step generate a significant amount of environmentally hazardous residues. Therefore, current research focuses on the realization of dry metal forming processes. Instead of lubricants, modified tool surfaces can also optimize tribological conditions in the interaction zone of forming tool and workpiece. The applicability of these surfaces needs further examination before usage within an industrial manufacturing process. In this paper, different surface modifications are examined by using a conical tube-upsetting test setup that is based on the concept of the well-known ring-compression test. The conical tool surface homogenizes the relative displacement between tool and workpiece and suppresses the appearance of a neutral point. Conical tools from AISI H11 / DIN 1.2343 and AISI D2+ / DIN 1.2379+ are laser polished and functionalized with self-assembled monolayers. Friction conditions resulting from different surface modifications are analyzed and evaluated by the use of nomograms. Moreover, the applicability of different friction laws for dry metal forming of aluminum is investigated.

Abstract: Liquid lubrication guarantees high precision and surface quality of workpieces in industrial forming processes. In the case of aluminum cold extrusion, wear and cold welding due to direct contact of tool and workpiece are usually prevented by the extensive use of lubricants. Since the use of lubricants is economically and ecologically unfavorable, surface treatments of tools by, e.g. laser polishing and/or coatings are in the focus of current investigations to substitute these lubricants and establish so called “dry metal forming” processes. The material AISI D2, a ledeburitic 12% chromium steel which is known to have a significant amount of chromium carbide precipitations, is widely used in cold extrusion for forming tools. The large fraction of chromium carbide precipitations, however, hinder the formation of a dense self-assembled monolayer (SAM) that is necessary to avoid direct contact of reactive aluminum with surface oxides of the tool. Therefore, a homogeneous distribution of the chemical elements with a smaller fraction or no chromium carbides in the steel matrix, particularly in the tool surface, is aimed for. Using laser polishing, the surface layer is molten by continuous or pulsed laser radiation. Within the melt pool, the elementary distribution is homogenized as a result of thermal convection and diffusion processes, as well as a smoothed surface and a grain refinement are achieved. Consequently, the effects of the surface treatment by laser polishing on the area coverage of self-assembled monolayers are investigated. Thus, a combined surface treatment by laser polishing and functionalization with a dense self-assembled monolayer shall reduce overall adhesive wear. For this investigation, several specimens of conventional manufactured and powder metallurgical molten AISI D2 are laser polished using continuous or pulsed laser radiation or a combination of both. The resulting surfaces are investigated by microscopy and spectroscopic techniques to analyze the surface topography and the elemental distribution near to the surface. These results are compared to those of conventionally hand-polished specimens. Furthermore, the influence of the element homogenization and grain refinement on the area coverage of self-assembled monolayers is explored. First results show that laser polishing of AISI D2 is suitable to achieve a reduction of grain size and a more homogeneous distribution of chromium carbides within the surface layer.

Abstract: The use of laser systems in the industrial manufacture of complex geometry details is growing. This phenomenon takes place thanks to laser technologies, such as selective laser sintering (SLS), direct laser metal sintering (DLMS) and selective laser melting (SLM) that make possible, in addition to production of details with complex geometric shapes, also the fast, cheap and effective restoration of damaged elements of the details. However, despite the abundant advantages of the above-mentioned technologies, the details produced on the basis of these innovative methods have typical problems (large value of surface roughness, low wear resistance). In the paper, the influence of changes of the principal technological parameters of the laser polishing on the technological characteristics of the external surface of details built by SLS was studied. Changes of the laser’s technological parameters impact the amount of energy supplied onto the area under processing. Thus, the correct selection of the technological parameters of the laser beam positively affect the microstructure and topography of the top surface layer of the manufactured details, its chemical composition and physical properties as well as diffusive processes in the laser beam impact area.

Abstract: Present work deals with laser polishing process on GGG70L spheroidal cast iron, which is widely used in die making for the automotive industry. Free graphite in the structure of GGG70L makes difficult the polishing and surface roughness reduction because the high melting temperature. In this work a complete study is presented, where main process parameters are identified and free graphite is eliminated from surface. The quantification of surface improvement is presented in terms of resulting surface roughness, hardness, and heat affected layer thickness. Thus, using optimal parameters, laser polishing with 2D scan head gives satisfactory results on GGG70L cast iron with roughness reduction rates up to 80% and minimum mean roughness R_a of 0.5 μm.

Abstract: Laser polishing is a finishing process based on melting material, with the objective of improving surface topography. Some operating parameters must be taken into consideration, such as laser power, feed rate, offset, and overlapping. Moreover, because of its dependence on the primary process, the initial topography has also an impact on the final result. This study describes a quadratic model, conceived to optimize final topography according to the primary process and laser polishing. Based on an experimental matrix, the model takes into account both laser operating parameters and the initial topography, in order to predict polished surfaces and to determine optimal set of parameters. After the phase of experimentation and the creation of the quadratic model, an optimal final topography is introduced, taking into account the initial surface and the laser parameters.

Abstract: In laser surface treatment the laser beam is used as energy source for surface modification improving aspects such as mechanical properties, tribology or surface texture. Modeling tools have special interest in processes with many variables, like laser surface processing, in order to minimize the tryout testing to find the optimal process parameters. The work presented here focuses on the prediction of the final topography in laser polishing process. By FFT analysis of the surface profile it is possible to get the different frequency components of the initial topography. On the other hand, thermal field simulation was carried out to evaluate the melt duration. Matching this with the spatial frequency damping during process, the reconstruction of the processed topography was obtained.

Abstract: With the development of photoelectron technology, optical glass and glass ceramic has been used in many different fields. The final machining of this kind of material has very important effect to its future application. In the present study, optical glass and glass ceramic is finished using laser polishing. Laser polishing could eliminate subsurface damage, smooth micro roughness. In certain cases a preheating system should be needed to increase optical glass’ surface integrity. The result shows that laser polishing of optical glass and glass ceramic has higher efficiency compared to conventional optical machining. The flexibility of laser polishing makes it ideal as an enabling technology for the final manufacturing of optical glass and glass ceramic.

Abstract: Laser polishing is a surface finishing technology for polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tools by removing uneven diamond particles from the diamond film through graphitization, melting and sublimation. While various types of lasers are used for the polishing of PCD tools, pulsed excimer and Nd: YAG lasers are among the most commonly used ones. The current development in laser polishing of PCD tools is reviewed. The reported experimental and modelling studies to improve the process performance are discussed. It reveals that there is a severe dearth of understanding of the process and the associated models for the efficient and effective use of the technology. The direction of future research in laser polishing is finally discussed.