Laser cutting of high precision tubes

This paper gives an overview of the laser cutting equipment developed for stent cutting: Nd:YAG, fiber and water-jet guided lasers; work piece positioning systems and different materials for stent manufacturing were presented. The side effects of laser cutting like oxide layer, heat affected zone and dross deposition were examined. Pulsed Nd:YAG laser cutting of AISI 304L type austenitic stainless steel high precision tube with 1,800 mm diameter and 0,117 mm wall thickness was performed. The relationship between the average power and kerf was characterised