Vol.20, No.1, 2020, pp. 45–49
UDC:

Modern surface treatment technologies are used in many branches of industry as automotive, airplane, food production and others. Surface treatment technologies on one hand improve existing materials and products, while on the other hand are essential for the implementation of innovative products based on particular properties of layers and coatings. Laser beam cutting technology has previously appeared to be inapplicable for cutting steels coated with zinc. Zinc degrading from the surface layer, i.e. sublimed directly, causes health hazards to operators (so-called zinc fever). The present article examines the interaction between hot zinc coated DX53D steel and the laser CO₂ beam. Selected technological aspects of the laser beam and their influence on the width of the degraded and extruded zinc surface layer are evaluated.

Keywords: laser cutting, Zn-coating, assist gas, coating degradation, numerical simulation