Micro-Laser Assisted Feasibility Test on Soda-Lime-Glass

Soda lime glassis the most prevalent type of glass, used for glass containers and windowpanes. It is difficult to machine in traditional manufacturing processes due to its extreme hardness and brittleness. Good optical quality surfaces can be achieved by removing the material in a ductile manner. The strength, hardness and fracture toughness of the workpiece material are the governing factors that control the extent of brittleness. The main goal of the subject research is todetermine the effect of laser heating (using the μ-LAM process) on the material removal of sodalime glass using a single point diamond tool. The results show that the micro-laser assisted scratch tests were successful in demonstrating the enhanced laser heating and thermal softening in glass resulting in greater depths of cuts when compared to similar applied loads for cuts with no laser.