What’s more, remarkable, fast-paced advances in computers, sensor technologies, and wireless com- munications are creating increasingly sophisticated tools such as process monitors and system diagnostics that are enhancing the performance, reliability and ease of use of industrial laser systems. The use of lasers in manufacturing dates back to the late 1960s and their growth has been unsteady. One of the first applications, which is still in use, was the laser drilling of over 30,000 holes in com- ponents that build up jet engines. Early adoption of laser technology in the automotive industry, however, proved to be too much too early. But today, lasers are commonly used across a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, defense, medical, automotive, and consumer electronics, as well as a wide variety of processes. That includes cutting, welding, drilling, marking and micromachining, and industrial lasers have proven their robustness in the highest-volume markets. The largest market share for laser technology has been and continues to be in the fabrication industry for flatbed laser cutters. As laser powers have in- creased, cost per watt has decreased. Motion systems have also delivered faster speeds and positional ac- curacy, which has grown almost 10% year over year. Another growth area has been in the use of lasers for marking, one of the fastest growing segments for the past few years. The need for tracking and traceability of parts across all industries, for both regulatory and cost reasons, has driven demand. Looking to the future, where will laser technology
expand? The explosion of laser technology in the last 10 years has opened up their use for virtually all pro- cesses and markets. The “tool-less” noncontact nature of lasers combined with a heat source that can be manipulated by optics to any shape offers unrivalled flexibility. Within the technology, there are rapid and excit- ing developments in ultrafast and direct-diode lasers,
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specialized optics and high-speed beam delivery systems, and non-metals welding and processing. Advancements in the field of laser additive manufac- turing have also caught the attention of the public and the media. Just as today’s realities may have been inconceiv- able to the industry’s earliest pioneers, the future promises even more incredible developments.
Additive Manufacturing By Tim Morris, Vice President North America—EOS of North America Inc.—Electro Optical Systems
One of the fastest growing manufacturing technol- ogies in recent years is additive manufacturing, often referred to as 3D printing. This process is capable of creating three-dimensional objects of virtually any shape and level of complexity directly from digital data. Additive manufacturing can produce compo- nents virtually impossible to create with conventional manufacturing techniques, in terms of geometrical complexity and overall part performance. There are many different additive processes used in this manner; however, the laser-based processes are recognized as the leaders with regards to industri- al manufacturing capabilities, superior detail resolu- tion and as-built material properties. The primary laser-based processes are laser metal deposition (LMD) and the power bed processes of direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) and selective laser sintering (SLS) for polymers. The LMD process uses either solid-state or CO2 lasers up to several kilowatts, to deliver sprayed metal powder to a base component via laser melting. Most recently, the availability of high-power fiber delivered solid-state lasers has expanded the use of robotics in this field. Although historically used primarily for high deposition cladding and hard facing applica- tions, when combined with precision power nozzles and small laser spot sizes, higher definition additive
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