Metamodeling of laser cutting

Laser cutting is a thermal separation process widely used in shaping and contour cutting applications. It is a very fast and at the same time very accurate technology with the optical tool laser not being exposed to any wear. There are, however, gaps in understanding the dynamics of the process, especially with regard to issues related to cut quality. Numerical modeling and simulation of the laser cutting process has shown to improve that understanding without the need for executing a lot of experiments in the real world. In this paper, the utility of a metamodeling technique in gaining valuable information relating to the optimization of a laser cutting process, where a CW laser is used to cut, is analyzed. The numerical simulation itself is characterized by a high dimensional input parameter set. Each parameter has its own range, and thus they are together forming the parameter domain space. The quality criteria, which are predicted with the numerical model, are analyzed together with the parameter domain space and are thus used to optimize the process. However, simulation results can only help in the build-up of process understanding, if they can be presented in their entirety and together with their origin in the parameter domain. For this purpose a new metamodeling concept is presented, which takes the results from numerical simulations and generates a process map, clearly indicating the process domains.