Lecture

Laser Materials Processing: Drilling and Cutting

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In course

MICRO-520: Laser microprocessing

The physical principles of laser light materials interactions are introduced with a large number of industrial application examples. Materials processing lasers are developing further and further, the lecture presents the physical limitations of the proces ...

Description

This lecture covers laser welding techniques, including polarisation welding, Marangoni effect, and different surface tension effects. It also discusses laser soldering, deep laser welding, and various joint geometries. Additionally, it explores laser welding of plastics, applications like bending and welding, and the types of lasers used. The lecture delves into laser drilling methods, such as single pulse drilling and multiple pulse drilling, as well as laser cutting techniques, including liquid expulsion cutting and cutting by ablation. It also examines the parameters and results of laser cutting processes, emphasizing the importance of gas assistance and optimal cutting speeds.

Instructor

Patrik Willi Hoffmann

Expertise WettabilityMico-structuringElectron-beam DepositionPhotodepositionPhotoablationNano-optics Mission Patrik Hoffmann is heading the laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing at Empa. Laser materials processing including Additive Manufacturing are key topics in recent years.At the EPFL cite in the Laboratory for Optical Materials and Characterization LPMAT, novel functional material depositions by HV-CVD are studied. Recently BaTiO3 heteroepitaxial films have been grown on SrTiO3 buffered silicon

Official source

Related concepts (32)

Laser cutting

Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to vaporize materials, resulting in a cut edge. While typically used for industrial manufacturing applications, it is now used by schools, small businesses, architecture, and hobbyists. Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high-power laser most commonly through optics. The laser optics and CNC (computer numerical control) are used to direct the laser beam to the material. A commercial laser for cutting materials uses a motion control system to follow a CNC or G-code of the pattern to be cut onto the material.

Welding

Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion. Welding is distinct from lower temperature techniques such as brazing and soldering, which do not melt the base metal (parent metal). In addition to melting the base metal, a filler material is typically added to the joint to form a pool of molten material (the weld pool) that cools to form a joint that, based on weld configuration (butt, full penetration, fillet, etc.

Laser medicine

Laser medicine consists in the use of lasers in medical diagnosis, treatments, or therapies, such as laser photodynamic therapy, photorejuvenation, and laser surgery. The word laser stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The laser was invented in 1960 by Theodore Maiman, and its potential uses in medicine were subsequently explored. Lasers benefit from three interesting characteristics: directivity (multiple directional functions), impulse (possibility of operating in very short pulses) and monochromaticity.

Laser drilling

Laser drilling is the process of creating thru-holes, referred to as “popped” holes or “percussion drilled” holes, by repeatedly pulsing focused laser energy on a material. The diameter of these holes can be as small as 0.002” (~50 μm). If larger holes are required, the laser is moved around the circumference of the “popped” hole until the desired diameter is created. Laser drilling is one of the few techniques for producing high-aspect-ratio holes—holes with a depth-to-diameter ratio much greater than 10:1.

Plasma cutting

Plasma cutting is a process that cuts through electrically conductive materials by means of an accelerated jet of hot plasma. Typical materials cut with a plasma torch include steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass and copper, although other conductive metals may be cut as well. Plasma cutting is often used in fabrication shops, automotive repair and restoration, industrial construction, and salvage and scrapping operations.

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