Hybrid system of laser and microwave plasma for material processing

Summary form only given, as follows. As the technology of material processing such as melting, cutting and welding develops in response to increasing commercial demands, the engineering margins are decreasing. There are several well-established ways of heating a gas to form plasma, including compression, magnetic field, shockwaves and direct heat exchange. Of the many types of discharges, the ones most used for material processing are the constricted arc, the open arc DC or AC and the radio frequency (RF) discharge. A more a recent technique at the University of Liverpool has been the development of 1-6 kW atmospheric microwave-generated plasma, which has no electrode but is based upon the use of a microwave resonance cavity. An important step of investigation has been carried out by the University in conjunction with The Welding Institute (TWI), where a microwave plasma torch of 1 kW and a laser of 2 kW have been integrated and coupled successfully to weld and cut different materials at various thickness which is normally achieved using a 5 kW CO/sub 2/ laser at various welding speeds. The results of this investigations shown that the there is a reduction in the capital equipment cost, which should make the hybrid laser and microwave system economical viable for many applications.