A study of processed area monitoring using the strength of YAG laser processing sound

In laser processing, the heating, melting, and vaporization of work material occur continuously when high power laser energy is applied, and such phenomena make it difficult to control laser processing in an on-line mode. Hence, in the case of the material removal process, e.g., it is difficult to maintain the removal volume and the processing accuracy at a constant level without applying laser process control. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the strength of laser processing sound and the groove cross-sectional area per pulse when a processing condition and a work material is changed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.