Laser Drilling
Laser drilling is a non-contact process that utilizes laser beams to remove material and produce holes. Laser beams, or extremely focused radiations of wavelengths, use heat energy to alter materials by vaporizing or burning away surface layers until a hole is created. Hole sizes can vary in response to motion control, laser power or galvo systems, which are mirrors that can control laser direction. Serving industries such as medical, semiconductor, aerospace, electronics and manufacturing, laser hole drilling technology is essential for fabricating products including engine blades, irrigation needles, fuel injectors, flow control devices and nozzle guide rings.
Laser drilling works by precision-controlling the heat energy achieved by short, rapid laser pulsations through a combination of CNC and CAD computer systems. The focused laser beam is able to remove surface layer materials to form holes of varying diameters and depths. Several different laser drilling processes can be used including: single-shot laser drilling, which uses a single high-energy laser pulse; percussion drilling, which uses multiple short-duration, low-energy pulses; trepanning, where a pilot hole is created and then multiple laser pulses enlarge the hole through circular motions; and helical drilling, uses multiple laser pulses in circular motions in a downward spiral.
Laser drilling can perform precise high speed drilling in virtually all metals and certain plastics such as silicone; it can also permit the drilling of holes in exotic alloys not possible with traditional methods such as wire EDM and CNC punching. Materials compatible with laser drilling include mild steels, stainless steels, titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, galvanized steels, nitinol, inconel, ceramics and diamonds. An inexpensive process, laser drilling has been made popular due to rapid prototyping and the ability to maintain tight tolerances as small as 10-20 microns.