Ceramic Cutting with Beam Cooling to Limit Thermal Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ceramic cutting methods face challenges with thermal damage, dust generation, and reduced cutting strength when using lasers or high-power beams to cut advanced ceramic materials like silicon carbide and alumina, making them unsuitable for mass production.
Innovation Solution
A ceramic cutting method and equipment that simultaneously heats and cools the ceramic using a beam of absorbed wavelength and a coolant, applying thermal stress through recrystallization or thermal expansion and contraction, followed by a separation process with additional force or shock to minimize thermal damage and efficiently cut the ceramic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a laser or high-power beam is used to heat and vaporize ceramic material for cutting, then the cutting process can be achieved, but thermal damage to the material increases and cutting strength decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by using alternating laser heating and coolant spraying cycles. The laser irradiates the ceramic surface in pulses to generate thermal stress, followed by coolant spraying to rapidly cool and create thermal shock. This periodic heating and cooling cycle enables progressive crack propagation through the ceramic workpiece, achieving clean cuts while minimizing overall thermal damage to the material structure.
2Productivity
If a laser or high-power beam is used to melt and vaporize material for cutting, then cutting can be performed, but dust is generated and thermal damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful thermal energy that would cause dust generation into a beneficial tool for crack propagation. By carefully controlling laser parameters and using coolant spraying, the thermal energy creates controlled thermal stress and thermal shock that guide crack formation along desired paths. This converts the potentially harmful thermal effects into a controlled cutting mechanism that minimizes dust generation while achieving clean separation.
3Reliability
If cooling is applied to reduce thermal damage, then thermal damage decreases, but the process becomes difficult to apply to mass production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs hydraulic cooling through liquid coolant spraying to rapidly remove heat from the ceramic surface. This hydraulic cooling method is highly efficient and easily automatable, making it suitable for mass production. The coolant delivery system can be integrated with automated positioning systems, enabling high-speed processing while maintaining thermal damage reduction. This approach combines the benefits of effective cooling with the speed and precision required for mass production applications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for precise cutting of ceramics without thermal damage, eliminating the need for protective films and enhancing workability and efficiency, thereby improving the reliability of ceramic cutting processes.
Implementation Method 1
irradiating a beam of a wavelength absorbed by a pattern formed on an upper surface of a ceramic and partially absorbed by the ceramic
Implementation Method 2
spraying, by a coolant spraying unit, a coolant onto the ceramic irradiated with the beam
Implementation Method 3
the ceramic is simultaneously heated and cooled to recrystallize the ceramic
Implementation Method 4
a stress is caused by recrystallization or thermal expansion and contraction of an upper layer or all of the ceramic
Implementation Method 5
a stress line formed in the ceramic due to heating and cooling by the beam and the coolant
Implementation Method 6
cutting, by a separation unit, the ceramic by providing force or shock to a stress line formed in the ceramic
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are ceramic cutting methods and equipment: a beam irradiation unit for irradiating a beam of a wavelength absorbed by a pattern formed on an upper surface of a ceramic and partially absorbed by the ceramic; a coolant spraying unit for spraying a coolant onto the ceramic irradiated with the beam, wherein the pattern is removed by heating and cooling the ceramic , and is cut by reducing thermal damage by using the stress caused by the recrystallization of an upper layer or all of the ceramic or the stress generated by the thermal expansion and contraction of the upper layer or the entire ceramic, thereby recrystallizing the ceramic by heating and cooling the ceramic , or cutting the ceramic by heating until the ceramic melts, and cooling to apply thermal stress to the inside of the ceramic, followed by an additional separation process of a ceramic material without loss.