Contoured material removal using cw-Q-switch Nd-YAG-laser radiation

The first of modelling the process of material removal taking the spatial energy distribution and the propagation of the laser beam into account are showing encouraging results towards the possibility of a comprehensive process model. Cw-q-switched solid state lasers offer the advantage of a removal process dominated almost 100 % by vaporization of Myg mass material, which in combination with well adapted process control may render geometries of 1 - 10 Mym precission. Suitable control signals are the intensity of the plasma light and the reflected laser radiation. The rate of this removal process is small compared to the laser caving process, which includes melt expulsion by a gas jet.