Precision Laser Cutting

Precision laser cutting systems create the components that power cars, trucks, railway equipment and airplanes. This rapidly advancing technology helps companies produce vehicles that transport people and commodities across every surface and into space.

Industrial and Automotive Applications for Precision Laser Cutting

Today, specialists use wet and dry lasers powered by carbon dioxide or optical fibers to cut, drill and weld advanced materials that can be very thick, thin, tough, flexible or difficult to process. Even on the thickest metal plates, lasers bore deep into the material while creating kerfs that are just 10 to 15 microns wide. Thanks to variable-pressure cutting systems, multi-axis equipment and the variety of waveforms, the capabilities of precision laser cutting are nearly limitless. Companies in every industrial sector use lasers to produce macro components like auto bodies and micro parts used in fuel cells, batteries and electronics. Lasers routinely create these specialized industrial items.

• Precision laser cutting for interior and exterior automotive parts
• Engine and fuel injection components
• Combustion rings, blades and vanes for turbines
• Aerospace and aeroengine systems
• Fuel cells, batteries and microelectronics

Precision laser cutting delivers unrivaled accuracy and efficiency. That’s why robotic laser fabrication systems have been used in the automotive and aerospace industries since the late 1960s. This manufacturing method is ideal for making 2-D and 3-D components, especially if they require complex geometries and tight size tolerances. Precision laser cutting accommodates one-off prototypes as well as large production runs when companies have aggressive production quotas to fill while working on tight schedules.

Precision Laser Drilling for Automotive and Industrial Applications

Pulsed lasers with high peak power are ideal for boring tightly focused holes in tough alloys containing nickel, cobalt or titanium. Lasers drill openings as small as 20 microns to create high-performance fuel filters and screens. Precision laser cutting and drilling techniques are useful for fabricating passive air vents and cooling holes that do not compromise the performance of turbines or jets where inflow, outflow and compression rates are critical. Studies show that flame temperatures within jet engines reach 2,000 degrees Celsius. This exceeds the melting point of nickel-based alloys that are used in the aerospace industry. Without these cooling systems, the high operating temperatures would endanger the aeroengines.

Industrial Applications for Precision Laser Welding

High-power lasers with continuous waveforms are ideal for welding auto bodies, engine parts, fuel injectors and automotive transmissions. Recently, several companies that manufacture equipment for precision laser cutting have developed products that successfully join nickel-based alloys. Laser welds securely connect high-pressure and low-pressure turbine blades to the cast core. Lasers create super-strong welds with customizable penetrations that range from 50 microns to 10 millimeters. Advances in laser cutting and welding have created new opportunities to use automotive fabrication systems in the aerospace industry where strict quality and safety standards apply to all components and finished products.

Lasers create mission-critical parts that are used around the world. Precision laser cutting is a valuable modern manufacturing method because it has contributed to the development of many cutting-edge industrial products. The technology has also enhanced the safety of vehicles, railway components and airplanes that millions of people rely on every day.