Patent ID: 9676058
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: B23K

Claim:
1. A method for determining a breakthrough of a laser drill through a near wall of an airfoil comprising: drilling a hole in the near wall of the airfoil using the laser drill, the airfoil defining a cavity adjacent to the near wall and the laser drill utilizing a laser, the laser being a pulsed laser defining a pulse rate; sensing a process condition at a frequency less than the pulse rate of the pulsed laser; sensing a change in the process condition in excess of a predefined threshold, the sensed change indicative of a breakthrough of the laser through the near wall of the airfoil; subsequent to sensing the change in the process condition, sensing the process condition for an amount of time subsequent to the sensed change in the process condition to collect additional data; and subsequent to sensing the process condition for the amount of time, determining that the laser has broken through the near wall of the airfoil, wherein determining that the laser drill has broken through the near wall of the airfoil comprises confirming the sensed change in the process condition in excess of the predefined threshold was an actual breakthrough based on both the sensed change in the process condition in excess of the predefined threshold and the additional data collected.