Laser Applications in Industries and Laser Welding – A review.

Anirudh R.P. 39090001

Saran Sundar S. 39090048

Abstract:

Lasers are now an integral part of industrial manufacturing. Lasers are highly
effective and efficient processing technology that has created a massive impact in
the manufacturing industry.
The high precision, higher processing speed and better quality of processing are few
pros of the technology. This review paper would discuss the impacts laser has had
on the industries, how laser technology overrides the traditional methods and the
sudden emergence and the positive effects of Laser Welding in the industries

1.Introduction:

The inclusion of Laser in industrial activities have been a paradigm shifting

technological advancements in the field of engineering. Lasers are used in Industries
for applications like cutting metals and fabrics, to clean metallic surfaces, to alter
the surface roughness, to measure dimensions and also to weld metals with high
precision. The reasons why Laser Technology is used in industry because it provides
higher processing speed, better quality, and the ability to produce special products
that are difficult to manufacture. Laser welding is predominantly used automobile
and aeronautical industries which would require engineering works to be carried out
in high precision.
In the modern world of manufacturing, Lasers are used for High-Volume Laser
Welding, Laser marking of components and also Additive manufacturing using
Lasers. Lasers are also being used for re-working of expensive metallic components
that have undergone a visible wear and tear. Laser-Based Micromachining has also
played a pivotal role in the emerging Field of MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical
Systems) and Nanotechnology. Lasers are now predominant in the drilling
operations as well; laser drilling achieves a complete through-hole by vaporizing the
target material in tiny layers. Other well-known applications are Laser Ablation and
Surface Texturing. The basic laser material processing (LMP) system consists of a
high-power laser, a beam delivery unit with a focusing arm, and a beam parameter
monitoring unit connected to a CNC machine. Delivering and manipulating laser
beams into extremely complex shapes and inaccessible locations is a critical aspect
of the LMP system. The method of transmission is determined by wavelength,
energy, power, beam diameter, divergence, etc. [6]
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 2. The Advantages of Laser in the industries:

In the modern world, lasers are one of the most popular and powerful tools used in
the industries for manufacturing. Lasers have the capability to perform complex
processes effortlessly and to provide extremely fine outcomes. The major benefits
why lasers are preferred in various Industrial operations is because-
 Lasers are extremely accurate; an advanced laser beams can be focused down
to 1/1000 of a millimeter. Hence the process of measuring, cutting, and
marking can be done with micro precision. With the rapid emergence of
Micromachining, Micro production and Nanotechnology, it is necessary to
take into consideration the precision of machining in a micro scale, and lasers
help us in achieving that precision, which may not be achieved using the
conventional method of machining. Machining using lasers are found out to
be clean and there are no post-machining burrs left out. Hence making the
entire machining process more convenient.
 The advent of automation and integrating smart technologies with automation,
Lasers can be incorporated into the production lines with relatable
convenience in order for a more standardized operation. Manufacturing using
lasers would lead to shorter cycle times, lesser maintenance and a cost
effective production. The conventional method would have required a lot of
manpower and would be labor-intensive and prone to errors, whereas the laser
operations would be easier and extremely accurate.
 Lasers are not only used in Industries, but also in various other fields like
Healthcare field for performing various surgeries to utmost accuracy. This is
a proof that lasers can work efficiently on a large range of materials like fabric,
glass, metal etc. The parameters of laser, can be altered and adjusted based on
every operation. A single laser can perform many tasks in production such as
welding, cutting, cleaning.
 Lasers are also extremely beneficial to the environment, since the companies
are marching towards energy efficiency. Lasers would be instrumental in
lowering their emissions and carbon output.
 Lasers are also compact; hence the manufacturers would be able to build more
economical production lines.
 Automated Laser machines are known to create safer manufacturing floors
which is facilitated by eliminating risky manual processes. Through using
laser technology, manufacturers can improve productivity, reduce maintence
and operation costs and improve accuracy of manufactured products on a large
scale.

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3. Popular Industrial Applications of Laser:

A. Laser Marking: Laser Marking is increasingly used in the industries to imprint

unique identification (UID) numbers of machine parts and products. These
marking would later be essential for identification and grouping of the
products or parts. There have been many marking processes like Ink-marking
or mechanical engraving methods used previously for the same function. But
laser marking is used because of the various advantages it possesses over
conventional methods of marking. Laser markings are highly durable and also
withstand various cycles of sterilization in the industries. Laser engraving can
be applied on surfaces that are flat or curved.

Fig.3(A) An Example of Laser Marking in the industries.

B. Surface Texturing: Lasers are beneficial in creating patterned or textured

microstructures on the surface of the components or products that would
directly affect its physical performance. Friction based wear and tear is a
major concern in engineering application where interactions between the
surfaces are predominant. So, Surface Texturing would enhance the surface
and is considered a viable and efficient way to modify the interaction between
the surface for better lubrication, controlled friction and enhanced wear
resistance of engineering materials. Laser texturing employs controlled laser
ablation to remove specific materials from the surface of the object, the main
objective of laser texturing is to provide an additional roughness and micro-
patterns such as dimples and form grooves on a material’s surface.

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 Fig.3(B) An experimental setup used for laser based surface roughness. [1]

C. Laser Drilling: Laser drilling is generally done by either melting or vaporizing

the target material or the workpiece material through the absorption of energy
from a concentrated laser beam. Usually the melting process is considered
more favorable because the energy required for melting is just 25% of that
required for vaporizing. Moreover, its believed that more than half of the
lasers are used in the aerospace industries. As per a survey conducted in
Singapore in the early 1990s, it is necessary to be remarked that about 12% of
all industrial lasers were used for hole drilling in the aerospace industries. [2]

Fig. 3(C) A schematic diagram of Laser Drilling in the industry.

D. Laser Welding: Laser welding has been widely used in various industries in
areas such as car manufacturing, shipbuilding and bridge construction due to
its advantages in implementation of high production, automotive processing
and creating a high-quality weld with little heat impact zones. [3] A laser
based welding provides more strength in the joints, and also the laser is
concentrated at the necessary point, hence high precision. A laser welding

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 works by using laser radiation in order to melt the target material or workpiece
down to a molten state and then joining operation is done. There are no
electrodes or fillers necessary for laser welding operation, therefore the
material is not prone to contamination and deformation. Laser welding is so
precise that it can form welds smaller than a millimeter.

Fig. 3(D) A schematic Diagram of Laser Welding.

E. Laser Cutting: Laser cutting employs are focused high-power beam to remove
materials rapidly and produce very fine cuts. Lasers are capable of slicing
through dense materials with relative ease, especially in materials like
Titanium and Steel. Laser cutting is better than conventional cutting processes
because of the speed at which the process is carried out, and the micrometer
level precision as well as repeatability.

Fig. 3(E) Laser Cutting.

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F. Laser Ablation [8]: Laser ablation utilizes a pulsed laser to remove materials
from a substrate for generating, micro/Nano structures. The major objective
of Laser Ablation is to get high quality, low cost, repeatable and reliable parts.

G. Laser Hardening: Laser Hardening is a heat treatment process which is used

to improve the durability and the strength of component surfaces. It employs
the use of high powered diode lasers that apply energy to heat the localized
area of the component’s surface. In comparison to tradition hardening
methods, laser hardening offers lower risk of warping and cracking and also
the advantage of greater precision and accuracy with broader material
flexibility.

H. Laser Cladding: Laser cladding would be done either using a wire or a powder
feedstock. A molten pool is developed on the surface of the workpiece or
material after laser application, into which the wire or powder is added
simultaneously. Despite the high power of the laser as a heat source, the
exposure time is short, hence solidification and cooling times are fast. This
would result in a metallurgically bonded layer which is tougher than the result
achieves using thermal spray. Moreover, its less dangerous to health than the
process of chromium plating.

4. . Types of Lasers used in the Industries:

As per studies conducted, there are three major types of lasers used in the
Industries: [4]
 CO2 Laser: These lasers are best suited for cutting and boring. Although a
wide variety of lasers are used in the industries, CO2 laser is the most
widely used. It has a wavelength in a mid-infrared at 10,600 nm. CO2 is
generally used in the health care industry, because CO2 laser energy is well
absorbed in water and skin has a very high percentage of water, which
makes CO2 well efficient and ideal for self-ablation. [5]

 Nd/Neodymium Laser: For boring and welding materials requiring high

energy and low repetition.

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  Fig.4(A) an Nd-YAD circuit setup.

 Nd-YAD or Neodymium yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser which would be

utilized for high power engraving, welding and boring. The Nd: YAG laser
was the first type of laser used in urological practice. It uses a neodymium
crystal that produces light that is invisible at a continuous wavelength of
1064 nm. Its reduced water and tissue absorption determines increased
tissue penetrability by 5-10 mm.

5. The Emergence of Laser Welding:

Laser Welding has been widely used in various industrial fields such as
aeronautics, automobile engineering and shipbuilding., because of the effect
of laser in facilitating its production, by reducing the cost, increasing accuracy
and repeatability and forming high quality weld with micron level precision.
In Laser Welding, the material is heated up to a particular temperature
continuously, at that temperature the molten metal begins to vaporize at the
position of laser beam focus. Traditional methods of welding are mainly of 3
types MIG (Metal Inert Gas), TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) and resistance spot.
In the industries, certain major concerns related to the conventional welding
methods mentioned above is the metallurgical or structural damage caused by
MIGs’ relatively lengthy and widespread heat transfer into the part which if
followed by a cooling cycle. On the other hand, laser localizes the
concentration of heat energy in a very small beam at a particular area only,
thereafter melting that area. The heat input is less that MIG, hence reducing
distortion and metallurgical damages.

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A. Conventional Methods of Welding and its disadvantages:
As mentioned earlier, MIG welding and TIG welding are the two most
common forms of conventional welding, which works by using a
shielding gas to create an inert atmosphere around the welding head. \
MIG welding is an arc welding process that used a continuous solid
wire electrode heated and fed into the weld pool from a welding gun.
The two base materials are melted together forming a gun. A shielding
gas is developed alongside the electrode to protect the weld pool from
airborne contaminants. Whereas TIG welding, also known as Gas
Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) is an arc welding process that
produces the weld with a non-consumable tungsten electrode.

The disadvantages of the conventional methods include:

 Less Precision: The conventional methods of welding employs a
filler which would be used reducing the room for a good fit and
making the weld imperfect.
 Conventional Methods of welding wouldn’t promise deep
penetration and micron level precision.
 It would usually form brittle welds and is also more prone to
contamination.
 There would be spatters and burrs present over the work material
after the process is done.

B. Efficient Utilization of Laser Welding in the industries:

Laser Welding can be used in various fields because of its high
precision and repeatability. Laser welding reduces the thermal stress on
the material due to its low heat output. Laser welding is capable of
creating an aesthetically pleasing look which is ideal for welds on the
external surface. The high precision and less heating property of laser
welding has made it an ideal option for working on Jewellery and
highly precious materials.

Fig.5(A) Laser Welding in Jewellery production

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6. Summary:

The emergence of laser technology has resulted in the rapid production rate in
the manufacturing industries by taking into consideration the accuracy and
precision as well as lowering the cost of production. The conventional
methods of Marking, Surface Texturing, Drilling and Welding have been
substituted by the laser technology because of its massive advantages that
facilitates the manufacturing process to a very large extent. Lasers can be
incorporated into production lines with comparable convenience to make
operations more standardized. Manufacturing using lasers would lead to
shorter cycle times, less maintenance and cost-effective manufacturing. The
conventional method would require a lot of manpower and would be laborious
and error-prone, while laser operations would be simpler and extremely
precise. Lasers are a easily available and low cost source, hence the feasibility
of laser based operation is unquestionable. The high accuracy and
concentration of lasers at a target point efficiently have also in fact resulted in
its high usage in the industry.

7. Conclusion:
This paper portrays the recent advancements in the field of manufacturing
after the incorporation of laser. The laser welding has now become a very
instrumental part in machining and micro machining, especially in aircraft
industries and shipbuilding industries where the manufacturing process must
be done with utmost and micron level precision. This paper also discusses the
emergence of Laser welding overthrowing the conventional methods of MIG
and TIG welding and overwriting the various disadvantages associated with
MIG and TIG welding. Moreover, Lasers are easy to handle, and easy to
automate hence manufacturers can easily incorporate laser operation into their
production plants. Hence, the efficiency of lasers in the field of manufacturing
and production would create a paradigm shifting effect in the future of the
manufacturing industry in this generation of Industry 4.0

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8. References:

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[4] Industrial Laser, Laser Surface Modification of Biomaterials (2016)
[5] The Role of CO2 Laser and Fractional CO2 Laser in dermatology (2014)-
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