Micromachining of metals with ultra-short Ti-Sapphire lasers: Prediction and optimization of the processing time

Abstract : We investigate processing times of ultrafast laser machining in the case of metals (copper and stainless steel). At a fluence of 2.5 J/cm2, measurements of processing times are in good agreement with calculations based on the ablation rates. We study the influence of laser repetition rates for 1, 5, 10 and 15 kHz. A linear reduction of the processing time can be expected with an increase of the repetition rate.