Structural Changes in Metals during Laser Cutting

The presented paper deals with the problems associated with laser machining of metal materials. Specifically, it solves the question of structural changes that occur as a result of the transfer of heat to the material. Experimental machining of selected technical materials was carried out, and on the basis of the hardness measurement near the cutting point, the heat-affected zone was evaluated after passing the laser beam. To confirm the detection of the affected zone width the models of transient temperature field were arranged, to represent the distribution of temperature in the vicinity of the cutting edge.