Effect of reduced ambient pressure and atmospheric composition on material removal mechanisms of steel and aluminum by means of high-speed laser processing

Balancing processes require highly precise mass corrections especially in case of high-speed turning rotors. Material removal by means of cw-mode laser radiation represents a novel approach for industrial balancing applications in order to achieve sufficient removal rates. Thereby, spatter formation was identified as primary removal mechanism. In this study, the effect of reduced ambient pressures and atmospheres with varying concentrations of argon, nitrogen and oxygen on spatter formation and loss of mass were investigated for AISI304 (1.4301, X5CrNi18-10) and EN AW-2618 (DIN 3.1924) under the use of a 400W single mode-fiber laser.