Deep Drilling of Microholes Optimized Using OCT
Micro-drilling in thick metallic materials places high demands on precision, process stability, and quality. The technical article “Optimized helical drilling of deep, high-quality microholes in stainless steel using an ultrashort-pulse laser and real-time depth monitoring” demonstrates how OCT-based real-time depth measurement can specifically optimize helical drilling with ultrashort-pulse lasers.
A CHRocodile 2 measurement system provided by Precitec was used in the experimental setup. The coaxially integrated OCT measurement made it possible to reliably monitor the current drilling depth and breakthrough during the ongoing laser process. This allowed process parameters such as pulse energy, focal position, repetition rate, and process gas flow to be specifically adjusted.
The optimized strategy resulted in high-quality micro-drill holes in 4 mm-thick stainless steel with an aspect ratio of 13, a low taper angle, and reproducible quality. The study illustrates how Precitec measurement technology helps make laser processes more transparent, stable, and suitable for industrial use.
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