Laser Processes

The laser principle was described by Albert Einstein as early as the beginning of the century, but not until the 1960s was it developed into a very low power system for commercial use. In the 1970s, systems for material treatment were launched and opened up a wide range of technological benefits for existing applications as well as completely new applications. Since then, laser technology has undergone a number of major development improvements and continues to do so, in the same manner as developments in PC technology.

Today, lasers affect all areas of business and private life. For example, telecommunications use laser-driven fiber technology, expiry dates are laser marked and bar code readers use lasers. CD players, remote controls, etc. make use of lasers. The laser power required for these applications is very small, far too small for materials treatment. Laser cutting, welding or surface treatment of metals require lasers for materials treatment that offer much higher laser powers.



Basically, electrical energy is transferred into a light beam of a single wavelength during the beam generation process in the laser resonator, for example during the CO2 laser process. The laser beam is essentially parallel, which makes it easy to transfer over a long distance to the place where it is needed. At the processing area, the laser beam is focused into a very small spot providing the energy needed to heat, melt and even evaporate metals immediately. But, laser processes require electricity and generate radiation, which can be dangerous if the person using the equipment does not have sufficient knowledge of the equipment and does not work with care.

Some Current Applications:

• The largest group of high-power laser applications is laser cutting of metals, since high-precision cuts can be produced with high cutting speeds.
• The advantages of laser welding include very narrow seam widths with considerably fewer weld distortions compared with traditional welding methods.
• Laser marking on various uneven component surfaces scribes many product bar codes. Lasers make it possible to create tiny holes that could not be produced by any other method or would require an enormous effort.
• Laser surface treatment covers a number of applications such as annealing, hardening, spraying/coating or cleaning of surfaces.