On the Stability and Performance of Remote DOE Laser Cutting

AbstractWhen considering remote laser cutting, the literature often discusses two methods: remote fusion cutting (RFC) and remote ablation cutting. It has previously been hypothesised that remote cutting can be conducted by modifying the intensity profile of the laser beam by means of a diffractive optical element. In this study, the effect of travel speed, focus offset and angle of incidence on the stability of remote cutting with a customized beam pattern was investigated. The study is based on a set of remote cutting experiments conducted on a 3kW single mode fiber laser in 0.5mm stainless steel. The study showed that remote cutting is obtainable with speeds ranging from 800mm/min-1600mm/min by using an average laser power of 630W. Furthermore, the experimental results showed that the cutting stability remained high for a larger range of incident angles