Development of an analytical model for the laser machining of ceramic and glass‐ceramic materials

A laser machining model for ceramics and glass ceramics is developed from the analytical treatment of a one‐dimensional vaporization problem with a distributed heat source. Analytical solutions are derived for evolution of the material system from an arbitrary initial state to a quasisteady state. The developed solutions are used to predict the behavior of high‐intensity Nd:YAG laser pulses (up to 107 W/cm2, ms duration) on a typical ceramic or glass ceramic material. Predictions include the critical intensity required for vaporization of material Ic, the material removal ΔM, and thickness of the affected residual surface layer S after a single laser pulse of given shape and intensity. Predictions are compared with the numerical calculations from a commercially available software package.