From the principle of laser, it can be known that laser has four major characteristics: good monochromaticity, good coherence, good directionality, and high brightness, commonly known as "three good and one high".
Laser macro manufacturing technology can be divided into two categories: conventional laser manufacturing and laser additive manufacturing. Laser macro manufacturing technology mainly utilizes the high brightness and good directionality of lasers.
Conventional laser manufacturing
1. Basic principle: The laser with sufficient brightness is not focused and irradiated onto the designated part of the processed material. After receiving laser irradiation with different plastic parameters, the processed material can undergo gasification, melting, metallographic structure, and internal stress changes, thereby achieving different processing purposes such as workpiece material removal, connection, modification, and separation.
2 Main Process Methods: The main process methods for laser conventional manufacturing include laser surface engineering (including laser surface treatment, laser quenching, laser spraying, laser vapor deposition, and laser shock hardening, etc., and commonly used laser marking in China can also be classified under laser surface treatment), laser welding, laser cutting, and other main process methods.
Laser additive manufacturing
Laser additive manufacturing technology is an additive manufacturing technology that uses laser as an energy source. According to the forming principle, it can be classified into two categories: laser selective melting and laser metal direct forming.
Laser selective melting
Working principle: Laser selective melting technology utilizes high-energy laser beams? According to the predetermined scanning path, scan the metal powder pre coated on the powder bed and completely melt it, forming a workpiece after cooling and solidification. Its working principle
The technical features are as follows
1. The forming raw materials are generally metal powders, mainly including stainless steel, high-temperature alloys, titanium alloys, high-strength aluminum alloys, and precious metals.
2. The mechanical properties of formed parts are good, with tensile energy exceeding that of castings, reaching the level of exercise parts.
3. Slow feed rate leads to low forming efficiency, and part size is limited by the powder spreading box, making it unsuitable for manufacturing large integral parts.
Characteristics of laser manufacturing
1. By using the same laser source on the same device and changing the control mode of the laser source, multiple processes such as cutting, drilling, welding, and surface treatment of the same material can be achieved separately. It can be processed step by step or simultaneously at several workstations.
2. Complete powder contact flexible processing in a short period of time, with no mechanical deformation of the workpiece, minimal thermal deformation, small subsequent processing volume, and minimal loss of the processed material. Laser beams are easy to achieve various optical transformations such as guidance and focusing, making it easy to automate the processing of complex workpieces.
