Laser micro drilling of de Laval nozzles using a hybrid hexapod system

Abstract

In recent years, miniaturization, one of the most intensely focused topics in science and technology, has enabled the use of macroscale engineered components at the microscale. Although components at this scale are extremely small, they can exhibit complex geometries. Therefore, precise manufacturing setups are required for their production or for processing existing ones. An example of such components is micro de Laval nozzles, which are used in the propulsion systems of micro-satellites. In this thesis, a novel method is presented for the production of micro de Laval nozzles, in addition to a method that enables drilling on freeform surfaces using a nanosecond laser and performing angled drillings on planar surfaces, all facilitated by a hybrid hexapod. The effects of parameters such as laser power, laser frequency, scan speed, number of loops, and rotation speed on the geometry and morphology of the nozzle were investigated for the method developed for micro de Laval nozzles. Experimental results demonstrated that critical geometric parameters for micro de Laval nozzles, such as throat diameter, outlet diameter, and outlet half angle, meet the requirements specified in the literature. The findings suggest that the developed method has the potential to provide a single-step, cost-effective solution for fabricating micro de Laval nozzles. In the future, efforts will focus on minimizing the sidewall roughness of the produced nozzles and automating the method for practical applications.