14. Studying Effect of CO₂ Laser Cutting Parameters of Titanium Alloy on Heat Affected Zone and Kerf Width Using the Taguchi Method

In laser cutting process, the cut quality is of great importance. The Heat Affected Zone (HAZ), the kerf width (K_w) of laser cut and quality of the cut edges are affected by cutting parameters as well as the work-piece material. In this paper CO₂ laser cutting of 3 mm thick of Titanium alloy sheet grade 5 Ti-6Al-4 V is investigated. The main objectives of the present work are firstly focused on evaluating the effect of laser power (Pu), cutting speed (V) and gas pressure (p) on Heat Affected Zone and Kerf width quality. Secondly, the relationship between cutting parameters and laser process output variables are analyzed and optimized using the Taguchi method. Results indicate that the thickness of the Heat affected Zone increases with the evolution of laser power and decreases with the increase of cutting speed, and the optimum cutting condition was found to be 1 kW for the laser power, 2400 mm/min for the cutting speed and 2 bars for gas pressure. Also, it is underlined that the kerf width is mainly influenced by laser power and cutting speed.