Laser Cutting of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP and CFRTP) by IR Fiber Laser Irradiation

We report here laser cutting of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) with an IR fiber laser (average power: 2 - 3 kW). The CFRP samples contain thermoplastic resin (CFRTP; carbon fiber reinforced thermo-plastic) or thermosetting resin as binding plastic. Well-defined laser cutting free of debris around the groove was performed for various type of CFRP plates by the laser irradiation with a fast beam galvanometer scanner on a multiple-scan-pass method. The laser-induced damage in the samples was observed and analyzed by microscopic X-ray Computed Tomography. Laser cutting with a high speed beam scanning exhibits a clean top and excellent sidewall quality along with a negligible heat-affected zone.