19. Analysis of Fiber Laser Micro-grooving on 316 L Stainless Steel

Within the domain of austenitic stainless steel, 316 L stainless steel is widely used in both biomedical and automotive industries due to its superior mechanical properties. In the present research study, the performance of the fiber laser micro-grooving process with regard to kerf width and surface roughness R_a has been analyzed. The process parameters, i.e., laser power (7.5–20 W), pulse frequency (55–80 kHz), and cutting speed (0.5–3 mm/s) are considered to examine the aforesaid responses. The results of the experiments exhibit that the presence of flowing condition of the high-pressure assist air in combination with varying aforesaid process parameters, have a considerable effect on the kerf width characteristics along with the average surface roughness R_a of microgroove cut on 316 L stainless steel.