Innovative Applications Of Laser Equipment in Manufacturing Industry

The innovative application of Laser Equipment in the manufacturing industry is mainly reflected in the optimization and improvement of traditional manufacturing methods, such as improving precision, efficiency and flexibility. Through laser cutting, welding, marking, engraving and other technologies, fine processing of various materials can be achieved to meet the needs of high-quality, personalized products. At the same time, laser equipment is also promoting the research and development and application of new materials and new processes, providing a strong impetus for the sustainable development of the manufacturing industry.

Laser equipment is widely used in the manufacturing industry and is constantly innovating. Here are some examples of innovative applications:
1. Laser cutting: Laser cutting is a processing method that uses high-power density laser beams to cut materials. This technology is more precise than any other process and therefore brings many advantages to subsequent assembly. For example, in the shipbuilding industry, parts have been cut using plasma and then shaped by hammering to meet assembly accuracy requirements. However, after installing the laser cutter, production became much quieter.
2. Laser welding: Automated laser welding equipment is widely used in the production of various products such as automobiles, high-speed rails, ships, aircraft, and rockets. For example, in automobile manufacturing, laser welding has been used in body-in-white manufacturing since the 1980s.
3. Laser marking: In manufacturing, laser marking is a technology that uses laser beams to mark relevant information on products.
4. Laser engraving: Laser engraving is a technology that uses a laser beam to carve graphics or text on the surface of a material.
5. Laser micro-nano processing: As a non-contact processing method, laser has unique advantages in micro-nano processing. It can be used to manufacture ultra-small size parts, which is very important for the production of precision instruments and electronic equipment.
6. Laser 3D printing: Laser 3D printing in the field of macro-manufacturing also has broad development prospects. It can quickly and accurately produce complex three-dimensional structures.

A. Laser cutting and welding
Laser cutting and welding are two important applications of laser equipment in the manufacturing industry, each with unique advantages and applications.
1. Laser cutting: This is a processing method that uses high-power density laser beams to cut materials. Key advantages include:
- High accuracy: positioning accuracy reaches 0.05mm, and repeat positioning accuracy is 0.02mm.
- Narrow slit: Because the laser beam can be focused into a very small spot, achieving a very high power density at the focus, the slit is very narrow.
- Smooth cutting surface: There is no burr on the cutting surface, and the surface roughness of the cutting is generally controlled within Ral2.5.
- Fast speed: the cutting speed can reach 10m/min, and the maximum positioning speed can reach 70m/min, which is much faster than wire cutting.
- Good cutting quality: non-contact cutting, the cutting edge is very little affected by heat, there is basically no thermal deformation of the workpiece, and the sagging formed when the material is punched and sheared is completely avoided, and the cutting seam generally does not require secondary processing.
- No damage to the workpiece: The laser cutting head will not come into contact with the material surface, ensuring that the workpiece will not be scratched. In addition, laser cutting can realize precision manufacturing, flexible cutting, special-shaped processing, one-time forming, etc., solving many problems that cannot be solved by conventional methods.

2. Laser welding: This is a technology that uses a laser beam to join metal materials together. Key advantages include:
- Fast speed, large depth and small deformation.
- Can be welded at room temperature or under special conditions, and the welding equipment is simple to install.
- It can weld refractory materials such as titanium, quartz, etc., and can also weld heterogeneous materials with good results.
- After the laser is focused, the power density is high. When welding high-power devices, the aspect ratio can reach 5:1 and up to 10:1.
- Micro welding possible. The laser beam can obtain a very small spot after being focused and can be positioned accurately. It can be used in the assembly welding of micro and small workpieces produced in large quantities for automated production.
- It can weld inaccessible parts and implement non-contact long-distance welding, which has great flexibility. In addition, laser welding technology also has the advantages of high energy density, high speed, high precision, and no contact, and is widely used in industrial manufacturing, aerospace, medical and other fields.

B. Laser Marking and Engraving
Laser marking and engraving are two other important applications of laser equipment in the manufacturing industry, each with unique advantages and applications.
1. Laser marking: This is a modern precision processing method. Compared with traditional printing, mechanical scoring, EDM and other methods, it has the advantages of maintenance-free, high flexibility and high reliability. Laser marking mainly uses high-energy-density laser to modify local micro-areas on the surface of the material, causing chemical changes in the substances on the surface, thereby displaying the required patterns, text, trademarks and other information. This technology has a wide range of applications, such as nameplate printing, business card printing, logo printing, etc., and can be applied to surface treatment of metal, stone, wood, cloth, plastic, paper, glass and other materials.

2. Laser engraving: Unlike laser marking, laser engraving is a process that requires relatively more laser power. In this process, the laser beam melts and vaporizes the material to create gaps of the desired shape. Typically, during laser engraving, material removal is accompanied by darkening of the surface, resulting in a visible engraving with high-contrast marks. This technique can be used on materials such as plastic, steel, glass, wood, and even leather, and is the most common choice for those who want an industrial touch when sliding their fingers over engraved areas.

C. Laser surface treatment
Innovative applications of laser equipment in laser surface treatment mainly include laser quenching and laser cladding.
1. Laser quenching: This is a technology that uses high-energy laser as a heat source to heat and cool the metal surface quickly, completing the quenching process instantly. This technology can obtain a high-hardness, ultra-fine martensite structure, improve the hardness and wear resistance of the metal surface, and form compressive stress on the surface to improve fatigue resistance. Compared with traditional quenching methods, laser quenching can not only improve the hardness and wear resistance of metal parts, but also improve its fatigue resistance and extend its service life. In addition, the heat input during laser quenching is small, the heat-affected zone on the base material is small, and it is not easy to cause deformation of the base material, which is beneficial to maintaining the accuracy and dimensional stability of the workpiece.

2. Laser cladding: This is a surface treatment technology that uses high-energy laser beams to melt coating materials onto the surface of the substrate to form an alloy layer with special properties. This technology can improve the wear resistance, corrosion resistance, heat resistance, oxidation resistance and other properties of the substrate surface, thereby increasing the service life and reliability of the product. Compared with traditional surface treatment methods such as electroplating and spraying, laser cladding has the advantages of simple process, high efficiency, and environmental protection.

D. Laser micro-nano processing
The innovative applications of laser equipment in laser micro-nano processing are extensive and cover many fields. With the development of science and technology, laser micro-nano processing technology has been continuously optimized to gradually meet the needs of precision manufacturing in various fields.
1. Aerospace industry: Laser micro-nano processing is widely used in manufacturing aero-engine injectors, turbine blade air film holes, etc. The lightweight trend of future aircraft will promote the application of fiber-reinforced composite materials and further promote the development of micro-nano processing technology.
2. Processing of brittle materials: In 3C and 5G related industries, the hardness and brittleness of materials such as glass and ceramics are increasing, and traditional processing methods can no longer meet demand. With its advantages of high efficiency and precision, laser micro-nano processing has become the first choice to replace traditional processing methods. It can realize all-laser processing processes of laser cutting, drilling, welding, marking, micro-nano structure and removal.
3. Flexible material processing: For flexible materials, large-scale, high-precision laser micro-nano processing has become an indispensable tool, which can realize all-laser processing processes of laser cutting, drilling, peeling, marking, annealing and removal.
4. Electronics industry: Researcher Yang Liang's research group at the Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Science and Technology of China has developed a new method for metal oxide semiconductor laser micro-nano manufacturing, achieving laser printing of ZnO semiconductor structures with sub-micron precision, and combining it with The combination of metal laser printing has verified for the first time the integrated laser direct writing of microelectronic components and circuits such as diodes, transistors, memristors and encryption circuits, thus extending the application scenarios of laser micro-nano processing to the field of microelectronics.
5. Display panel industry: The demand for full-screen, 8k high-resolution screens, curved and folding screens is growing day by day, and panels are developing towards high-density displays and flexible materials, which has brought huge market demand for laser micro-nano processing . This technology has been market-proven in OLED flexible screen cutting and laser repair.

E. Laser 3D printing
The innovative application of laser equipment in laser 3D printing is very extensive and has achieved remarkable results in many fields.
1. Laser cladding technology: This is a manufacturing method that melts and deposits materials layer by layer, which can realize the manufacturing of complex-shaped three-dimensional objects. The print head extrudes filaments, sinters them with laser while extruding filaments, and deposits them on the component platform; or the print head extrudes droplets, which contain fine metal particles, and sinters them with laser while extruding the droplets. The components are stacked and formed on the platform. This technology has wide applications in industrial manufacturing, healthcare, aerospace and other fields.
2. Popularization of the application of domestic lasers: In recent years, the quality of domestic lasers has significantly improved. For example, small-size metal 3D printers such as dental machines have been replaced by domestic ones, and the overall price of the equipment has also dropped significantly.
3. Development of special fiber lasers: Wuhan Raycus Laser has launched a variety of special fiber lasers for 3D printing, optimized the power monitoring system, effectively suppressed high-order modes, and achieved highly stable and high-beam quality laser output while having a more compact structure.
4. Breakthrough in 3D nanoprinting technology: The research team of Professor Sun Hongbo and Associate Professor Lin Linhan from the Department of Precision Instruments of Tsinghua University proposed a new nanoparticle laser 3D printing technology, which uses new printing principles and mechanisms to give 3D nanoprinting technology more Many magical properties. This technology is expected to improve VR display resolution and provide new possibilities for the development of virtual reality technology.

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