Laser Machining Processes - Fast Pulse Laser Ablation

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Fast pulse laser ablation or femto second laser machining is the process of laser machining with a laser having a pulse speed in the femtosecond range. This is as opposed to ‘slower’ lasers pulsing in the nanosecond range.

The faster pulses enable the photonic energy to be transferred to the surface of the material being machined at a much faster rate than conventional slower pulsed lasers. The material being ablated is excited at a very fast rate which does not give the material time to form a molten state and instead proceeds to the gaseous state almost immediately. The result is a much cleaner ‘cut’ typically with no re-cast or ‘spatter’ present around the cut. The surface of the area having been machined is not subject to effects of heat which include a modification of the properties of the surface material and micro-cracking.

Typical applications for this process are the drilling of very fine, very cleanly cut micro-fluidic channels used in a wide variety of products such as fluid sensing and control equipment, inkjet printers and medical devices. The fast pulse ablation process also allows laser machining of materials normally transparent to the laser beam such as clear glasses.

The main disadvantage of this process is the laser machining equipment is very expensive and thus there are very few manufacturers offering it as a solution.