Crack-free cutting of thick and dense ceramics with CO2 laser by single-pass process

This paper presents a laser crack-free cutting method of Al2O3 ceramics by single-pass process in internal straight and curve profiles. The thickness and theoretical density of the ceramics are up to 10 mm and about 99%, respectively. The effective cutting speed is about 0.23–0.42 mm/s corresponding to the laser head moving speed of 3 mm/s. The cutting process based on close-piercing lapping of piercing time of 0.1–0.5 s and piercing pitch of 0.03–0.05 mm is divided into two continuous stages. Appropriate time slot for each piercing, high peak power of 3500 W and low cycle duty (<30%) achieve crack-free cuts. Optimal cut quality parameters are analyzed and characterized. These results demonstrate that the laser crack-free cutting method is a promising method to achieve complex profiles of ceramic cuts.