Influence of machining parameters on surface roughness in Nd:YAG laser micro-cutting of alumina-aluminium interpenetrating phase composite

Pulsed laser sources are extensively used in recent years for micro-processing of composite materials for structuring and patterning of surfaces. Alumina-aluminium (Al2O3?Al) Interpenetrating Phase Composites (IPCs) have increasingly widened their use in structural application in aircraft and space stations owing to their superior qualities. In this research, pulsed Nd:YAG laser micro-cutting on alumina-aluminium IPC have been carried out to investigate the influence of laser machining parameters such as lamp current, Q-switched pulse frequency and cutting speed on surface roughness. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based optimal parametric analysis has been performed for achieving minimum surface roughness (Ra) of the micro-cut surface.