Abstract

PEREZ-SALINAS, Cristian; RIERA, Marilyn  and  TONATO, Carlos. Experimental study on the low power CO2 laser cutting of natural fibers reinforced plastic composite. Enfoque UTE [online]. 2020, vol.11, n.3, pp.55-68. ISSN 1390-6542.  https://doi.org/10.29019/enfoque.v11n3.572.

The application of plastics reinforced with natural fibers in the industry can be increased using faster and more flexible technologies, such as laser cutting. The anisotropic nature and the degree of combustion of natural fibers in these types of compounds make laser processing very challenging. This study deals with the cutting performance of a low power CO2 laser to cut polymer composite plates (matrix of polyester and epoxy resin) reinforced with natural fibers (Abaca and rice husk) with an average thickness of 3 mm. An experimental DOE design and an Anova analysis of variance were used to determine the significant and influential parameters in the quality of cut and the thermal effect on the material. The processing parameters were the cutting power, cutting speed and type of thermoset matrix. The cuts with a minimum zone affected by heat, of approximately 600 mm and a minimum Ra of 3.18 μm, were achieved by working with 76 W and 14 mm/s of power and cutting speed respectively in the composite material of reinforced polyester matrix with rice fiber.

Keywords : Laser cut; composite; natural fibers, Response Surface; surface roughness; thermal affectation.

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