Hole characteristics optimization in Nd:YAG laser micro-drilling of zirconium oxide by grey relation analysis

The use of the Taguchi method with grey relational analysis, to determine the laser micro-drilling parameters with consideration of multiple quality characteristics, is studied in this paper. The effort has been made to minimize the micro-drilling defects, such as hole taper and heat-affected zone width, to produce high-quality micro-drills. The Taguchi method coupled with grey relational analysis is therefore used as statistical design of experiment tools for optimization of both the quality characteristics, simultaneously. The optimal result obtained has been verified with the help of an additional confirmatory experiment. This indicates the application feasibility of the grey–Taguchi technique for continuous improvement in product quality in the manufacturing industry.