On acoustic emissions in percussion laser drilling

Laser drilling is a well established sheet metal processing method. The development of a monitoring system capable of assessing the dimensions of holes is the subject of this work. This paper investigates the applicability of an acoustic-based monitoring system for the percussion laser drilling process. Correlation between the sensor output and the hole's geometry, determined by its depth and upper diameter, is investigated and the results are presented. In general, the results indicate that a correlation exists between the acoustic signal output and the depth of the hole.