Investigation of cut quality in fiber laser cutting of CFRP

•Cut quality in fiber laser cutting of CFRP was systematically studied.•Laser processing parameters affecting cut quality factors were identified.•Circular rings were generated at cut surfaces when fibers were thermally fused.•Optimum process conditions were identified using cut quality factors. Fiber laser cutting of CFRP sheets was investigated using a 2 kW multi-mode fiber laser, focusing on how the cut quality factors, such as kerf width, kerf depth, matrix evaporation width, matrix recession width, kerf taper angle, matrix damage zone, and cut surface morphology, change as laser power, laser scanning speed, and the number of laser passes are varied. By designing a systematic experiment on a large process window, several important parameters for kerf width, kerf depth, matrix evaporation width, and matrix recession width were identified, and using them, it was verified that the beam scanning speed is a dominant factor for minimizing thermal damages. Also, circular rings were observed in each carbon fiber at the cut surfaces, and it looked as if they were generated when each fiber was thermally fused in the radial direction. A larger number of laser passes was found to contribute to a smooth surface morphology, because of the formation of highly-fused surfaces, which prevents fiber delamination and pull-outs. Optimum process conditions were also identified by comparing various cut quality factors.