The physical processes involved in laser materials processing are reviewed like the plasma generation with intensity-dependent absorption, the optical feedback involved in laser workpiece interaction and the heat conduction in the workpiece with load and losses of the heat affected zone. Specific examples of various applications demonstrate the improvement of laser processing by matching the thermophysical properties of the materials to the physical mechanisms that lasers offer economic as well as technical advantages over other processing methods.

Date Published: 21 October 1986
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 0650, High Power Lasers and Their Industrial Applications, (21 October 1986); doi: 10.1117/12.938099

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0650:
High Power Lasers and Their Industrial Applications
Dieter Schuoecker, Editor(s)