Process monitoring of laser remote cutting of carbon fiber reinforced plastics by means of reflecting laser radiation

Lightweight materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are becoming increasingly important. In order to make CFRP attractive for use in mass production, production costs have to be reduced significantly. The method of laser remote cutting represents a wear-free and fast alternative to conventional methods. Because of the inhomogeneity of CFRP laminates, a varying number of exposures is necessary along the cutting contour to obtain a complete separation. This paper provides a method for measuring the reflected laser radiation in each exposure by means of a photodiode. An algorithm detects the complete separation and terminates the process after the exposure. Thus, it is possible to optimize the energy and time efficiency of the remote process