Abrasive jet drilling of glass sheets: Effect and optimisation of process parameters on kerf taper

This article reports an investigation of the influence of process parameters on the obtainable dimensional accuracy when drilling glass using abrasive jet machining. In particular, holes were drilled out of glass sheets, and the effects of standoff distance, nozzle diameter, particle grain size and applied pressure on the kerf taper were examined. An artificial neural network technique was used to establish a precise model of kerf taper as a function of the process parameters. The proposed model was then optimised, and the conditions to minimise the kerf taper were identified using a genetic algorithm. The results revealed that standoff distance has a major effect on kerf taper, and it proved possible to substantially reduce the kerf taper by applying an axial feed to the nozzle so that the standoff distance is kept constant during the machining process.