Hole Characteristic of CO2 Laser Drilling of Poly-Methyl Methacrylate PMMA

The use of laser drilling process to produce high quality end product is a potential for mass production. This process shows an important role in this field of industry, particularly in the drilling of many types of material includes metals, plastic, rubber, and ceramics. In this current work, an experimental investigation of the laser drilling process is carried out on 4 mm acrylic (Polymethyl Methacrylate, PMMA) thickness using Carbon Dioxode (CO2) laser. The study investigates the effect of laser power density and exposure time on hole quality characteristics, namely aspect ratio, circularity and taper. The results revealed that both laser power density and exposure time play a significant role on uniformity, roundness and drilled holes diameter. It has been observed that aspect ratio, circularity and taper increase with decreasing laser power density and/or exposure time for the drilled open holes.