A master's student of the Department of Aircraft and Helicopter Engineering of the Faculty of Aircraft of Novosibirsk State Technical University NETI has developed a prototype of a new technology of water-laser cutting - with its help it is possible to cut sheet materials without exposing them to excessive heat. For Russia, this technology is unique and in demand, in particular, by the aviation industry.
"The cheapest method for cutting sheet materials is laser cutting — its use is cheaper than classical milling cutting or waterjet cutting. However, a significant disadvantage of this method is the thermal effect. In the zone of thermal influence (ZTI), there is both a change in the structure of the material and the occurrence of various defects. All this leads to a significant reduction in the resource of parts obtained by laser cutting.
In order to eliminate this problem, it was decided to use the technology of placing a laser beam in a laminar water jet. In this way, we receive the supply of coolant to the cutting zone and reduce the thermal effect on the material. Additionally, this technology makes it possible to reduce the level of defocusing of the laser beam due to reflection from the water-air interface and increase the thickness of the processed material," said Ilya Badin, technology developer, second—year master's student of NSTU NETI towards Aircraft and Helicopter Engineering.
In addition to water, options for using a glycerin solution in water with different concentrations as a working medium are being studied. Such compositions have a higher density and viscosity, which makes the laminar jet more stable and allows increasing its flow rate and, accordingly, the cooling rate of the material. Such glycerin solutions should allow to reduce the corrosive effect when processing iron alloys.
"A pilot unit was created to test the technology, and in September, bench tests were conducted that showed the possibility of placing a laser beam in a jet of water, as well as cutting flammable materials (plastics). Of course, our efforts to bring this technology are focused around the aviation industry and specifically around the cutting of aluminum sheets, but the potential of this technology is not limited to this. With its help, it is possible to cut magnetic cores without the danger of stratification, processing ceramic materials, cutting composite materials, cutting precious stones, cutting high—strength materials and hardened steels without the risk of cracking, sharpening the working edges of the cutting tool," adds Ilya Badin.
In the near future, the developer plans to create a prototype of increased capacity and search for interested investors to create an industrial design.
