Development of Inner-Grooved Tubes by Dieless Micro-Forming with Laser-as-Sisted Air Pressure

Abstract

Grooved tubes are widely used in electronic cooling modules. They are usuallt drawn, a term referring to molding. However, this process has limitations, especially in the production of smaller tubes. Therefore, this study examines the potential of an alternative process, dieless forming, in which the grooves on stainless steel are generated by pulsed laser-assisted air pressure. To begin with, the stainless steel tube in ambient air was heated using a pulsed laser. Then, groove samples were sliced for observation using an optical microscope (OM). Finally, the samples were analyzed using Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM). The results demonstrate that grooves can be formed utilizing dieless forming with pulsed laser-assisted air pressure. The average observed depth of the grooves 208.5 um at 10-watt power and 0.01 Mpa gas pressure. In conclusion, grooves at a micro scale can be produced effectively by dieless forming for a range of industrial applications.