LAUSR

The present work focused on the investigation of hole quality characteristics in laser-drilled kenaf/high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites. Microwave-assisted compression molding was used to fabricate kenaf/HDPE composite with 20 wt% of the kenaf fiber reinforcement. The two input parameters pertaining to the experimentation were laser power and cutting speed. Kerf taper angle, heat-affected zone (HAZ), and surface roughness were investigated to evaluate the surface quality and accuracy of the holes generated through laser drilling on composite specimens. The assessment of HAZ was performed qualitatively through image analysis on scanning electron micrographs. Additionally, the effect of composite thickness on laser drilling was also investigated for 3-, 6.7-, and 10-mm composite specimens. The central composite design was used to plan the experiments. The kenaf/HDPE composite drilled at power 120 W and speed 2 mm/s shows a minimum kerf taper angle and surface roughness of 0.056° and 3.83 ± 0.19 µm, respectively. Regression model was obtained for the establishment of relation between input variable parameters and responses. Experimental results and predicted model results exhibited good agreement with each other as they provide error less than 5.35%. The analysis of variance was carried out to obtain the significance of the model chosen for optimization of the output values, that is, surface roughness and kerf taper.