Laser Drilling

Laser Drilling is suitable on alloys and composites that cannot be drilled by conventional methods. Some benefits are:
• Faster than any conventional method
• Entrance angles not possible with contact machining
• Minimal mechanical force on work piece
• Low dimensional variability
• Low distortion
• 5-axis laser control
• The only solution for many drilling challenges

Laser Drilling Facts

Laser Drilling Advantages
• Processing of high alloy metals without difficulty
• No tool cost or wear
• Drills angled holes and difficult access holes
• Economic set-up time

Laser Drilling Limitations
• Laser holes are tapered to some extent (approximately 1% of the drill depth)
• Cannot drill a blind hole to a precise depth
• Adherent metal to be removed from exit hole
• Slower processing large holes due to trepanning

How A Laser Machine Works
The LASER, an acronym for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation," is a device that produces a concentrated, coherent beam of light by stimulating molecular or electronic transitions to lower energy levels, causing the emission of photons.

	Laser Diagram

The solid-state laser utilizes a single crystal rod with parallel, flat ends. Both ends have reflective surfaces. A high-intensity light source, or flash tube surrounds the crystal. When power is supplied by the PFN (pulse-forming network), an intense pulse of light (photons) will be released through one end of the crystal rod. The light being released is of single wavelength, thus allowing for minimum divergence.

One hundred percent of the laser light will be reflected off the rear mirror and thirty to fifty percent will pass through the front mirror, continuing on through the shutter assembly to the angled mirror and down through the focusing lens to the workpiece.

The laser light beam is coherent and has a high energy content. When focused on a surface, laser light creates the heat used for welding, cutting and drilling.

The workpiece and the laser beam are manipulated by means of robotics. The laser beam can be adjusted to varying sizes and heat intensity from .004 to .040 inches. The smaller size is used for cutting, drilling and welding and the larger, for heat treating.