Abstract
Cordierite ceramics sintered with an addition of aluminum titanate were cut and pierced by pulsed CO2 laser. Effects of average beam power and thickness of workpiece plates on maximum cutting speed were examined. Piercing behavior such as minimum value of average beam power for piercing and diameters of holes were also examined. It is concluded that cordierite ceramics can be cut and pierced by CO2 laser without serious failures, which are often observed during laser machining of structural ceramics such as Al2O3, SiC and ZrO2. The machined surfaces are covered with glassy layers.
