Disturbance of material removal in laser-chemical machining by emerging gas

Using laser-chemical machining allows a localized and precise processing of metallic work pieces. The temperature distribution on the surface is the primary factor of this selective and gentle machining method. Investigations regarding temperature and material removal related surface effects like locally induced gas bubbles and reduced material removal are shown. It is shown that the processing feed rates only have a negligible impact on the resulting temperature field and thus the width of the cavity, while laser intensity appears to be the dominant parameter. Furthermore, it is shown that emerging gas bubbles caused reduced material removal resulting in irregular cavities.