Laser Supported Microfabrication Acts On Fe-Cr-Ni Based Alloy: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Laser-based advanced manufacturing practice grabbed numerous applications with a remarkable demand in advancing micro-products like marine engine spare parts, heat exchanger components, microfluidic systems, electronics systems, and chemical reactors. As an idiosyncratic fabrication process, the laser beam can provide innovative solutions in a myriad of micro-engineering applications. However, one of the primary challenges encountered in laser-based processes is the machining rate and surface characteristics, which are influenced by various laser processing parameters, processing conditions, and material properties. Therefore, an attempt has been made to perform chemically-supported laser machining (CLM), an amalgamation of thermal energy and chemical processes to harness the machining rate and surface characteristics. This research shed light on how this dynamic interaction occurs under a neoteric practice with the support of a laser during microfabrication acts on a Fe-Cr-Ni based alloy, which is highly resistant to the chemical environment. This study has conducted a few sets of experiments under three environments like dry, water, and a chemical, in conjunction with controllable parameters like power and frequency, along with laser scan variables, and the results revealed distinct differences while scrutinizing the output responses, like machining rate and surface characteristics under three environments. This article explored the effect of individual parameters and their contribution level during the micro-machining acts under comparative study for each environment. In addition, surface morphology, and compositional analysis, have also been done on the dry, water, and chemically processed surfaces to study the consequences that are of great concern.