commercial applications of laser processing

Thin Solid Films, 84 (1981) 367 PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION 367

C O M M E R C I A L A P P L I C A T I O N S O F L A S E R P R O C E S S I N G *

STEPHEN M. COPLEY Department of Materials Science, University o f Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007 (U.S.A.)

(Received April 8, 1981; accepted April 8, 1981)

The laser is being considered for a variety o f surface modificat ion processes including heat treatment, melt quenching, cladding, alloying, particle injection, chemical vapor deposition, and ablative shaping. The feasibility O f these processes has been demonst ra ted in principle; however, the technological feasibility has been demonst ra ted in only a few cases. The advantages o f the laser as a directed energy heat source for surface modif icat ion are high beam power, small spot size, a tmosphere capability, no X-ray hazard and shallow absorpt ion depth; the disadvantages are high metallic reflection in the I R and high cost. Laser heat t reatment o f ferrous alloys results in high surface hardness and improved fatigue life 1. Melt quenching has been employed to at tain microstructural refinement 2 and metas table const i tuents a. Such modif icat ion results in improved corros ion resistance 4 and high surface hardness s. Cladding and alloying of surfaces have been demonstra ted. Papers on laser cladding particle injection and laser chemical vapor deposi t ion are discussed by other researchers at this conference. Ablative shaping of silicon c o m p o u n d ceramics has been demonst ra ted but mechanical properties studies are needed to evaluate the process 6.

REFERENCES

1 H.B. Singh, S. M. Copley and M. Bass, Metall. Trans., 12A (1981) 138-142. 2 S.L. Narasimhan, S. M. Copley, M. Bass and E. W. Van Stryland, Metall. Trans., IOA (1979)

645-655. 3 D.G. Beck, S. M. Copley and M. Bass, Constitution and microstructure of Ag-Cu alloys produced

by continuous laser melt quenching, in C. W. White and P. S. Peercy (eds.), Laser and Electron Beam Processing of Materials, Academic Press, New York, p. 198.

4 C.W. Draper, R. E. Woods and L. S. Meyer, Corrosion (Houston), 36 (1980) 405408. 5 Y.W. Kim, P. R. Strutt and H. Nowatny, MetalL Trans., IOA (1979) 881 886. 6 S.M. Copley, M. Bass and R. G. Wallace, in Proc. 2ndInt. Conf. on Ceramic Machining and Finishing,

Gaithersburg, MD, 1978.

* Extended abstract of a paper presented at the International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A., April 6-10, 1981.

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