Category : Machine tools, cutting, molding, machines, precision machining > Laser machining systems

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Machining materials with lasers - a technology first introduced in the early 1970's - is now used routinely in many industries. Laser micromachining is a more recent development. First demonstrated in the 1980's, micromachining with lasers is an evolving technology. Initially laser micromachining was based on continuous wave or long-pulse lasers. With these "conventional" lasers, the heat transferred from the laser beam to the work piece introduced numerous restrictions that limit the precision and the quality of the machining process. In other words, laser micromachining is... well, not so micro, but rather course by some of today's standards. Machinists have learned ways to minimize the negative effects associated with heat transfer through various types of pre- and post-processing. These additional steps considerably increase the complexity and cost of the machining operation.

Note that heat-diffusion is not limited to laser machining. Tool bits deposit mechanical energy into the material that is being machined, a portion of which is converted to heat. This heat energy does not stay localized where it was initially deposited. It moves away in a characteristic time - the so-called "heat-diffusion time." This is a familiar phenomenon. If you turn on the heating element on an electric stove, it will take a few seconds to warm up. The same happens at the microscopic level, but the time scales involved are quite different. The typical "heat-diffusion time" encountered in laser machining is not counted in seconds, but rather in picoseconds (a picosecond is a millionth of a millionth of a second!)

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