About

Laser Material Processing

Laser material processing refers to a group of manufacturing techniques that utilize laser beams to modify or process materials. This technology has a wide range of applications across various industries due to its precision, versatility, and ability to work with different types of materials. Some common processes include:

1. Cutting: Laser cutting is used to slice through materials such as metals, plastics, wood, and ceramics with high precision and minimal waste.

2. Welding: Laser welding joins materials together by melting and solidifying the joint area with a focused laser beam. It's used in the automotive, aerospace, and electronics industries, among others.

3. Forming: Laser forming is a non-contact manufacturing process that utilizes a high-intensity laser beam to induce localized heating on a workpiece, typically a sheet or plate of metal. This localized heating causes thermal expansion and subsequently induces residual stresses in the material, leading to plastic deformation. 

4. Drilling: Laser drilling creates holes in materials with very small diameters and precise depths, often used in electronics manufacturing and aerospace applications.

5. Marking and Engraving: Laser marking and engraving produce permanent marks or designs on the surface of materials like metals, plastics, glass, and leather, used for branding, identification, or decorative purposes.

6. Surface Treatment: Laser surface treatment modifies the surface properties of materials, such as hardness, corrosion resistance, or adhesion properties.

Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) utilizes digital designs to create objects by building up layers of material. It enables complex geometries, rapid prototyping, and customized production with minimal waste. AM applications range from aerospace components to medical implants, driving innovation in materials and production efficiency, and transforming traditional manufacturing approaches worldwide. Fallowing techniques are used now.

1. FDM

2. Laser assisted Direct energy deposition

Composite materials

Composite materials combine the unique properties of different materials to create enhanced performance characteristics. They typically consist of a matrix material (often a polymer, metal, or ceramic) reinforced with fibers or particles (such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, or nanoparticles). This combination allows composites to achieve superior strength, stiffness, lightweightness, and durability compared to their individual components alone. They are widely used in aerospace, automotive, marine, and construction industries for applications requiring high performance and specific material properties. 

Cold Spray Coatings

Gas dynamic cold spraying or cold spraying (CS) is a coating deposition method. Solid powders (1 to 50 micrometers in diameter) are accelerated in a supersonic gas jet to velocities up to ca. 1200 m/s. During impact with the substrate, particles undergo plastic deformation and adhere to the surface. To achieve a uniform thickness the spraying nozzle is scanned along the substrate. Metals, polymers, ceramics, composite materials and nanocrystalline powders can be deposited using cold spraying.[2][3] The kinetic energy of the particles, supplied by the expansion of the gas, is converted to plastic deformation energy during bonding.