Effect of Nanoclay on the Heat Affected Zone during Pulsed Laser Machining of Polymer Based Hybrid Nano-Composites

Laser cutting of composites such as epoxy based glass fiber and carbon fiber composites using pulsed lasers is discussed. Material characteristics are modified by the addition of nanoclay to the glass fiber composite. The heat affected zone (HAZ) reduced by 40% due to the addition of nanoclay. The dispersion of clay (2 wt% of the matrix) in the epoxy resin matrix not only provides good adhesion between matrix and fiber but also restricts the thermal diffusion hence reducing the area of HAZ. Micro channels fabricated using 120 ns Yb3+ fiber laser with a wavelength of 1060 nm had a distorted channel in glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) and a very large heat affected zone in carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). Nd3+:YAG laser with a wavelength of 532 nm and 6 ns pulse width produced uniform channels with reduced heat affected zone in both GRFP and CFRP. In addition, laser cutting is performed via multi pass scribing using 6 ns pulse width and a uniform kerf width of 300 μm is observed.