# Precision Cutting of CF/PEEK by UV Nanosecond Laser for On-Orbit Manufacturing Applications

## TL;DR

This paper explores using a UV nanosecond laser to cut carbon fiber reinforced composites for space manufacturing, aiming to achieve high-quality cuts.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel approach using UV nanosecond laser cutting for CF/PEEK composites with optimized parameters for on-orbit manufacturing.

## Key findings

- Optimal cutting quality was achieved with a slit width of 41.69 ± 3.54 μm and a heat-affected zone of 87.27 ± 7.30 μm.
- Cutting quality is influenced by laser repetition rate, cutting speed, and scanning times.
- Carbon fiber decomposes and escapes due to the photothermal effect during cutting.

## Abstract

On-orbit cutting is a critical process for the on-orbit manufacturing of carbon fiber reinforced polyetheretherketone composites (CF/PEEK) truss structures, with pulsed laser cutting serving as one of the feasible methods. Achieving high-quality cutting of CF/PEEK remains a major challenge for on-orbit manufacturing. Therefore, the cutting process of CF/PEEK prepreg tape was studied by an ultraviolet (UV) nanosecond laser. A three-factor, five-level orthogonal experiment was carried out to analyze the influence of laser repetition rate (LRR), laser cutting speed (LCS), and laser scanning times (LCTs) on cutting quality. The ablation mechanism dominated by the photothermal effect between the UV nanosecond laser and CF/PEEK was analyzed, and the by-products in the cutting process were explored. Finally, the optimal cutting quality (the width of slit (Ws) = 41.69 ± 3.54 μm, the heat-affected zone (HAZ) = 87.27 ± 7.30 μm) was obtained under the process conditions of LRR 50 kHz-LCS 50 mm/s-LCT 16 times. The findings show that the WS and HAZ increase with the increase in LRR and LCT and the decrease in LCS, and the carbon fiber decomposes and escapes due to the photothermal effect.