Germany Develops Fast, Precise, Wear-free Laser Perforated CFRP Process

Recently, scientists at the Laser Center Hannover (LZH) in Germany announced the successful development of an automated laser drilling process that can facilitate the processing of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). This, they say, is particularly valuable for applications in lightweight construction and sound insulation.
Composites such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) are excellent for lightweight construction and are used, among other things, in automotive and aircraft structures. In order to simplify the processing of CFRP and sandwich materials, LZH scientists, together with Invent and the KMS Technology Center, have developed an innovative process with a relevant system setup.
In this process, the laser beam is split into partial beams by specially designed diffraction optics so that it hits multiple locations on the material and creates multiple holes simultaneously.
Ideally, this can be accomplished with as many as 25 partial beams, reducing the punching time to a quarter of the original time and less than a tenth of a second per hole, something that cannot be achieved with conventional methods, even for larger holes.
With this process, the scientists were able to create holes as small as 1.2 mm - 0.25 mm in diameter. This makes them smaller than the holes currently realized in sandwich and CFRP materials using conventional mechanical methods. A high degree of flexibility in hole diameters and patterns can also be achieved without the need to change tools, using optomechanical devices manufactured by the KMS Technology Center.
Laser microdrilling is also interesting in the aerospace sector. For example, acoustic cladding elements are used in engines in order to reduce the noise emissions of aircraft. Such components are usually made of CFRP or CFRP sandwich material, which is then provided with many small holes over a large area.
Laser microdrilling is suitable for acoustic drilling because it is contactless and therefore free from stress and wear. This eliminates high costs due to drill wear and quality problems caused by blunt drilling. In acoustic tests, project partner Invent rated the acoustic performance of the laser-drilled sandwich panels as "very good".