Experimental Study of the Effect of Laser-Cutting Process Parameters on Heat Distribution and Cutting Edge Quality of Steel Sheets

This study aimed to evaluate Laser-cutting process of Mild Steel St37 sheets with two different thicknesses. In order to evaluate the quality of cutting edge and the depth of the area affected by the heat, several tests were conducted to determine the effect of parameters such as Laser power, Laser beam movement speed and pressure of axillary gas on the quality of cutting edge and the depth of the area affected by the heat. The results showed that three main parameters of Laser beam movement speed, the pressure of axillary gas and Laser power could affect surface roughness and depth of the area affected by the heat. The value for each of these main parameters should be optimized based on other parameters and in a predetermined range in order to reach optimal conditions and edge quality and to use the interaction of these parameters to determine the final optimal conditions.