Precision manufacturing is one of the most significant achievements in recent history. Unlike some other industry developments, precision manufacturing can change how a variety of businesses work, allowing for cost savings while also boosting productivity, tightening tolerances, and offering a more dependable way of producing parts.
Moreover, this type of manufacturing has influenced various sectors, including medicine and aerospace. As more businesses find possibilities to use it, it may become even more influential than it is now.
Even if you’re not making products for sectors that need exact accuracy, it’s still critical to have an affordable and reliable production method that can supply you with an identical design copy every time.
However, is laser the best solution for precision manufacturing? Let’s look at how various lasers are the best solution for precision manufacturing to grasp better how you may use the technology.
Deep Laser Engraving
Deep laser engraving is suited for, but not limited to, industries that demand accurate and cost-effective material processing, due to its versatility. It is one of the best solutions for precision manufacturing. Among its advantages are:
Flexibility
You may use laser engraving on a broad range of materials with variable degrees of thickness. Stainless steel, coated metals, plastics, and carbon steel are a few examples. Moreover, this method is not limited to flat surfaces. You may etch patterns on 3D objects’ rounded, uneven, and difficult surfaces. Lasers can carve patterns in regions that are difficult to reach with other methods.
Fast Order Fulfillment
Laser engraving is a fully automated process that is not hindered by the requirement for cutting tool maintenance or the labor-intensive hand cutting required by older procedures. Finely detailed, complicated designs previously thought impossible to engrave are now engraved swiftly and effectively. What would have taken weeks to engrave may now be done in hours.
Accuracy and Quality
A precision laser vaporizes material to create engraving designs. The method is not limited by mechanical cutting instruments, which wear out and get dull with usage. This kind of wear diminishes the quality of the engraving.
The laser is computer-controlled to ensure precision. This implies that the engraving will be precise to your requirements and that many engravings of the same design will be identical.
Laser Welding
Laser welding is another solution for precision manufacturing that is more useful to companies than other processes and is recognized globally. Higher productivity makes laser welding cost-effective for organizations. Its advantages include:
High Strength Welds
The production quality is superior because no filler material is used in manufacturing. Manufacturers use laser welding because of its clean processing. The high-strength welds are the safest and most concentrated method of producing medical equipment and car components. It is also employed in many other sectors.
Consistent Results
Businesses benefit from laser welding’s adaptability and quickness. Costs are reduced as a result of lower unit costs as a result of the increased productivity rate. Furthermore, consistency is essential in manufacturing because it assures product repeatability, making this a preferred production method.
Ultimate Precision
The primary advantage of laser welding is its accuracy and precision. With this level of control, you can fuse the smallest pieces without causing any harm. It can also link small components and steel constructions up to 25mm thick.
Low Heat Application
Because laser welding uses less heat, the possibility of component distortion is reduced. Because of its low/no damage, this process is used in luxury manufacturing items such as jewelry. It is non-contact and has quick cooling, which implies that:
- Internal stresses are minimal.
- There is a low chance of deformity.
- Internal strain is reduced in parts.
Laser Cutting
Laser cutting is a high-tech machine that precisely cuts nonmetal and metal materials. It has grown in prominence in both the consumer electronics and industrial markets.
Moreover, this type of cutting is progressively replacing or supplementing traditional cutting technologies in the high-tech sector, while firms obtain competitive advantages by integrating laser cutting machines.
Benefits of laser cutting may include:
Contamination Free
The laser produces a high-power beam to cut through the material. During the procedure, no part of the laser system touches the material.
Precision
With its laser-focused accuracy, the technique can maintain near tolerance, frequently to 0.001 inches (0.025 mm). The placement precision of newer laser cutters has reached 10 micrometers (0.01mm).
Flexibility
The laser system can handle profiles ranging from essential components to complex shapes. A laser cutting machine can make complicated patterns and highly detailed cuts in sheet metal materials with computer peripherals.
Simplification
Laser cutting enables the production of complicated forms without the need for fixtures or tooling and at a comparable or quicker rate than conventional cutting technologies. This type of cutting is also an appealing and cost-effective method of sheet metal manufacturing since it requires no tooling or fixtures.
Furthermore, traditional stamping or punching leaves rough edges or burrs that you must grind smooth afterward, but a laser cutter provides a clean edge that requires no further effort.