A parametric evaluation of fiber laser micro-channelling performance on thick PMMA in water medium

Polymers provide superior strength-to-weight ratios, malleability, cost-effectiveness, and recyclability compared to metals and alloys, rendering them highly favoured in the domains of automobile, electrical, medicinal, and thermal engineering. The present study employs a fiber laser as an approach to generate Gaussian beam-shaped micro-channels on thick transparent PMMA material while being submerged in de-ionized water to mitigate the problems associated with infrared laser micro-channeling such as non-uniformity, combustion and region of altered properties due to heat. Micro-channel quality is assessed by measuring three key metrics: depth of cut, kerf width, and heat-affected zone. This analysis considers power, cutting speed, and pulse frequency. The laser transmission channelling experiment is conducted on PMMA employs a central composite rotatable experimental strategy. The optimal settings are set to have a depth of cut of 25.34 µm, a kerf width of 4.98 µm, and a HAZ width of 36.32 µm.