Published on : 29 November 20213 min reading time
Laser is a suitable technique used by most industries because of its reliability, flexibility and speed. It is an innovative and exceptionally efficient tool for industrial production such as heat treatment, additive manufacturing, etching, cladding and measurements. It is mainly recommended for industrial cutting, marking and welding. These three modes of laser use are complementary, but can also be performed separately.

Laser cutting

Cutting is the crucial step in the preparation of materials for a laser manufacturing industry of mechanical parts. The basic principle of laser cutting is the thermal deduction of metal to ensure clean and burr-free cutting of organic alloys, ferrous and non-ferrous metals into complex shapes. These thermal laser processes are specially adapted for the realization of metal parts for shearing, on anodized aluminum plates, stainless steel and various other materials. The advantage of using laser for cutting is its ability to cut materials finely. It allows to meet the standards on small series, prototypes and very thin parts measuring between 30 micrometers and 30 mm. They are compatible with many materials such as ceramic, titanium, aluminum, stainless steel, steel or silicon. Compared to other cutting methods, the use of laser cutting in the industrial manufacturing process has two key advantages for laser manufacturing: precision due to the use of less heat to minimize burrs during slicing and simplicity of implementation that requires no special tools.

Laser Marking

Marking is the most common use of laser. This process has many advantages and is used in the aerospace, aeronautical and medical industries. Laser marking is clean, always traceable and does not degrade. It can be done on all materials, no matter what their nature and particularity. It is a better alternative to adopt for a labeling on a metal support or other material like plastic. It is also used to mark bar codes and logos. For pharmaceutical industries, the implementation of serialization of their products is done by laser marking.

Laser welding

Welding is the least known use of the laser although it is a very interesting alternative for industrial production projects. This process is particularly advantageous and is compatible with various materials such as titanium, aluminum, chrome, stainless steel, cobalt or ferronickel. The laser welding method is available in different types, such as clinch or angle welding when the edge of one sheet is to be collapsed onto another, through welding when the first layer is melted and edge-to-edge welding when the elements have just been joined. There are two methods of making a laser weld: full bead welding and spot welding. Full bead welding is a virtually watertight weld that involves creating a metallurgical bond with the end and the beginning. This technique is the most interesting when a tight seal is required. It is adopted for the assembly of medical devices to resist even in retention areas where bacteria remain. Laser welding is hermetic and ensures the aesthetics of the manufactured part. It allows the welding of magnetic materials and without any filler metal. It offers a strong mechanical resistance depending on the depth of penetration which is perfectly controlled.