Laser technology is ubiquitous in manufacturing and affects our lives in many invisible ways. Lasers, for example, are used to cut glasses in car airbags, smartphones and tablet screens, and delicate, tiny stands in medicine. Lasers can be used to weld batteries, the shells of sensors in cars, and metal pipe fittings. Laser can also process the radiator holes in laptop computers, mark parts and so on.
The first technology developed in manufacturing was laser cutting of sheet metal. Laser cutting is more accurate than any other process and thus offers many advantages for subsequent assembly. For example, the shipbuilding industry used to use plasma to cut parts. Then, the assembly precision is satisfied by percussion shaping. As a result, shipyards used to hear hammerheads thousands of times. However, after the installation of laser cutting machine, the biggest feeling is that the production has become "quiet".
There are five current and future trends in laser applications in manufacturing industry.
1. Large capacity laser welding
Maximizing welding time and minimizing non-welding time are always the highest goals of manufacturing processes. Laser welding is a non-contact welding process in which the laser head can be moved very quickly, making the welding almost instantaneous. A good example is the welding of car seat components. A robot carrying a laser head moves the welding over the component without stopping the welding. What used to take minutes now takes seconds.
2. Laser marking
Laser engraving is the fastest developing laser technology in the market in recent years. As part tracking and traceability requirements increase, the market size will continue to grow. Laser engraving provides a permanent and direct marking method for a variety of materials. You can print any graphic feature directly, including text, graphics, and bar codes.
3. Laser additive manufacturing
After nearly 30 years of development, laser additive manufacturing has finally been successfully used for parts repair and manufacturing. For parts repair, the technology is ideal for reworking expensive parts or worn tools, such as molds and aero-engine turbine blades. The metal layer is deposited in the repaired area and is then slightly processed to the specifications. For parts manufacturing, the medical industry's implants and monolithic complex aero-engine parts are being developed and manufactured, all of which are using lasers for rapid customization. Reducing the manufacturing cycle time per piece will be the key to maintaining the success of the laser additive manufacturing technology.
4. Ultra-short pulse laser micromachining
Picosecond and femtosecond lasers with pulse durations of 10-12 seconds and 10-15 seconds produce no excess heat when machining metals, i.e., no or very small heat-affected zones being produced. They can be used to process brittle materials such as plastics, glass and ceramics, and even almost any metal. Lasers remove substances by sublimation (the change of a solid into a gas without passing through a liquid state). The laser-machined edges are of high quality - clean, precise and burr-free.
For example, drilling a hole in a natural gas injector, that must have precise geometry to maximize efficiency. The medical device industry also has many requirements for plastic and metal processing, and ultra-short pulse laser processing can fully meet these requirements. These lasers tend to be expensive, but prices are falling. Laser micromachining is a good choice if you need to create a unique part, or if you want to drastically reduce the subsequent operations of machining.
5. Plate laser cutting
Laser cutting although the earliest development, but so far it still has the largest market. Thanks to the development of fiber laser and disk laser, the cutting speed has been greatly improved. A 2kW fiber or disc laser cuts faster than a 4kW CO2 laser! More recently, these lasers have been able to cut materials of different thicknesses optimally with external control in "flight" mode on the assembly line.
The future of lasers in manufacturing is bright. But a lot of work remains to be done.
