Influencing Factors and Workpiece's Microstructure in laser-assisted Milling of Titanium

Today's lightweight components have to withstand increasing mechanical and thermal loads. Therefore, advanced materials substitute conventional materials like steel or aluminum alloys. Using these high-performance materials the associated costs become prohibitively high. This paper presents the newest fundamental investigations on the hybrid process 'laser-assisted milling' which is an innovative technique to process such materials. The focus is on the validation of a numerical database for a CAD/CAM process control unit which is calculated by using simulation. Prior to that, the influencing factors on a laser-assisted milling process are systematically investigated using Design of Experiments (DoE) to identify the main influencing parameters coming from the laser and the milling operation. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or review under responsibility of Bayerisches Laserzentrum GmbH