Research on Hybrid Process of Laser Drilling With Jet Electrochemical Machining

The spatter and recast layer are main metallurgical defects in laser drilling (LD). Combining jet electrochemical process with laser can minimize such defects. The hybrid process is called electrolysis jet guided laser drilling (EJGLD). The presented experiment results show that the electrolyte jet can guide and transmit laser to the workpiece for drilling; and the electrochemical dissolution can effectively reduce spatter and recast layer. This paper introduces work on how to optimize this hybrid process, in particular, how to set a proper distance between the cathode and workpiece for best efficiency and accuracy.