Laser Control Feature Programs, Drills Complex Hole Patterns on 3D Parts

SmartPerf from Prima Power Laserdyne is a laser control feature for programming and drilling simple or complex patterns of holes in linear and cylindrical paths on 2D and 3D parts. This tool is designed to produce high-quality holes, in terms of metallurgy and geometry, with the benefit of reduced cycle time for on-the-fly laser drilling. It eliminates the need for acceleration and deceleration at each hole location, increasing productivity.

On-the-fly drilling is a process for percussion drilling small-diameter (0.2- to 0.6-mm) holes in turbine engine combustors. All of the company’s Nd:YAG and fiber laser systems can drill holes at steep angles and in difficult-to-machine materials. SmartPerf enables quickly drilling thousands of holes over a 3D surface in a single setup, according to the company. It can also produce patterns of holes involving trepanning, standard percussion drilling and complex patterns with non-uniform hole spacing and varying hole size. Common applications involve drilling a pattern around a pre-existing machined feature and creating custom spray patterns based on an array of non-uniformly spaced, sized and shaped holes.

Reduced heat input to the workpiece improves quality when laser drilling thermal barrier and other coated high-temperature-alloy metals. When used in conjunction with the company’s SmartPierce, the process produces less debris, less heat and less part distortion for more effective results.

SmartPerf broadens the applications for which laser drilling is economical, enabling laser drilling applications such as fuel filters, noise abatement panels and spinnerets used to produce synthetic fibers. The new control feature can also be used for laser texturing.