COMPUTER SIMULATION OF LASER ENGRAVING: A PROOF OF CONCEPT

Laser engraving is becoming an appealing option for those applications where previously Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) was the only choice because of its advantages with practicability, time and cost. Laser engraving technology removes material in a layer-by-layer fashion and the thickness of layers is usually in the range of a few microns and it is depending on several parameters such as the specimen material, laser power, Transverse Electromagnetic Mode (TEM), and beam traverse speed. The crucial first step in the setup process is to find out the depth of material which will be removed in each layer and is traditionally done off-line by trial-and-error technique. This is a lengthy process in which the operator must alter the laser parameters such as power and traverse speed gradually and use a microscope to examine the quality and measure the depth of removed material. For new materials, which may be very expensive, this process could take weeks and become very costly. The main purpose of this research project was to develop a proof of concept software that could simulate the geometry of engraved surface and estimate the depth and width of an engraved groove and its associated laser parameters