Swift and accurate - Investigation of remote laser cutting for open cell foams

It is well known that the global climate change is the largest challenge for the society of the 21th century. For managing the resulting consequences, innovative materials become more and more important for energy efficient applications. Open cell metal foam contributes promising solutions to the light weight design, battery applications and renewable energy harvesting. Still, challenges are present concerning the cutting into a defined shape. The remote laser cutting offers a solution for decreasing the production costs as well as the needed component accuracy. Our investigations consider that this technique has a high potential concerning cutting speed, which was increased more than 500% compared to state of the art laser separation. Next to that, the contour accuracy was improved as well, resulting in tolerances with less than 60 mm. This paper offers insight into the viability of remote laser cutting in overcoming the challenges dealing with mechanical milling or grinding. Investigating the process concerning thermal stress input as well as particle attachments will be the next steps in the future.