Present Status of Nd:YAG Laser Beam Micromachining of Engineering Ceramics

Laser beam machining (LBM) is a non-contact type of material removal process and this advanced thermal machining process is extensively used worldwide in material processing field in modern industries. The high density focused laser beam melts and vaporizes the unnecessary portion of parent material very efficiently. During the last decades, a number of researchers have explored experimentally and theoretically this Nd:YAG laser beam machining technique with different materials like metals, alloys, ceramics and composites through a number of ways to improve the machining performances. The paper reviews the research works performed in the area of Nd:YAG laser micromachining operations such as micro-drilling, microgrooving, micro-cutting, micro-milling, micro-turning and marking etc. on aduanced engineering ceramics for searching out the various micro-machining process parameters and their effects on laser machining performance characteristics.