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Picosecond Laser Micromachining VS. Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) Of Tungsten Carbide

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Laserod Wafer
Picosecond Laser Micromachining VS. Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) Of Tungsten Carbide

Tungsten carbide (WC) is very well recognized as a hard-to-machine material but is commonly used as a tool material. Tungsten carbide is used in the industry due to its unique properties such as dimensional stability, extreme hardness, excellent wear resistance, and chemical inertness.

Due to material durability and strength, traditional mechanical machining techniques, such as electrical discharge machining (EDM) and grinding, can experience problems such as tool damage, fast tool breakage, and time-consuming repairs. If EDM is used in processing WC, there would be many machining problems, including a heat-affected layer formed on machined surfaces and a discharge-induced rough surface.

As a consequence, a post-polishing process is necessary, which makes the whole manufacturing process very sluggish and raises the cost of production. Besides, for the EDM operation, a shaped electrode must be produced, which usually wears and must be remodeled or replaced to ensure the necessary consistency of the component.

An alternative, cost-effective, and high-efficiency machining system is required. Laser micromachining is a promising choice due to its unique properties such as non-contact operation, no mechanical cutting forces, and no machine tool wear. Nevertheless, the use of modern lasers, such as the nanosecond pulsed laser, to process tungsten carbide has been shown to cause thermal and residual material repositioning problems.

Researchers have developed an effective picosecond pulsed-laser WC micromachining method. This method is capable of drilling high-quality microholes, engraving various features, and creating micro or nano surface structures on the WC surface. The picosecond laser micromachining-process is very useful in terms of time and flexibility relative to traditional EDM techniques.

Laserod Technologies is dedicated to providing exceptional micromachining services to a variety of industries. For projects and to know more about laser micromachining, contact our experts at 310-340-1343/ 888-991-9916.

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