Micro scale laser shock forming of pure copper and titanium sheet with forming/blanking compound die

A new process fabricating micro parts of thin metal foils by laser shock waves with forming/blanking compound die is reported in this article, in which flexible rubber material was used as the soft punch to act on the thin metal sheet. Systematic studies were carried out experimentally on the process with different laser energies and materials. The formed parts were examined in terms of their morphology, surface roughness, forming depth and mechanical properties (including nanohardness, plasticity and elastic modulus) characterized by nanoindentation test. According to the results, the ablation states of confinement medium and the surface roughness of the different regions change with energies. Additionally, the proper energies are necessary to form complex parts and the forming process can be applied to manufacture parts with good surface quality. What's more, the nanoindentation test results showed that the nanohardness, plasticity and elastic modulus of material were increased after impact. The increase in nanohardness and plasticity can attribute to higher stiffness of the parts. The enhanced elastic modulus indicates an increased stiffness of the parts, providing an evidence for the reduced spring back of copper during laser shocking.