Uses of laser in industry

Lasers are widely used in industry area. In general, the uses of laser can be divided into two that is processing of materials and all other applications. Materials processing includes cutting, drilling and welding while other applications includes marking and engraving. First, laser cutting is an industrial process which is high flexibility, non-contact and stress free processes. Furthermore, laser cutting is very precise, excellent dimensional stability, small heat affected zone, and narrow cut kerfs. Laser cutting can be used on typical metals and non-metals. For example, typical metals are stainless steels, aluminium, and copper while non-metals are plastics, ceramics, fabric, paper and wood. Second, laser welding is one of the techniques of joining materials. The benefit of laser welding is high processing speeds without bring damage to the tools due to the contact free process. The process speed is dependent on the laser type used, power, the material type, and the weld geometry. Laser welding of metal can be differentiated between keyhole welding and heat conduction welding. For example, a selection of plastics can be successfully welded by using a diode laser. In addition, lasers are commonly used for marking and engraving of materials. The benefits of laser marking and engraving in comparison to other traditional marking technologies are multifold. The processes are non-tactile and do not induce mechanical stress. It is a very flexible, basically maintenance free process, and the results are very precise and sustainable marks on a large variety of materials. It is also low in consumable cost. A large variety of materials can be marked or engraved using a laser. Different laser types are used depending on the material.