Application of laser processing technology

As a high-precision and high-efficiency processing method, laser processing technology is being widely used in the field of engineering machinery manufacturing. With the engineering machinery manufacturing industry’s continuous pursuit of product quality and production efficiency, the application of laser processing technology is developing and evolving.

Laser processing technology can achieve cutting, welding, punching, engraving and other processing operations on a variety of materials, which brings many advantages for engineering machinery manufacturing.

Overview of laser processing

This technology is the use of laser beams on the material processing methods, just focus the laser beam to a very small point, so that the material in its role in the melting, evaporation, combustion or stripping and other physical or chemical changes, so as to achieve the processing of the material and change.

Cutting of materials using a laser beam of high energy density, where the laser beam generates high temperatures on the surface of the material, causing it to melt or evaporate, and cutting the material into the desired shape by air flow or mechanical force.

Welding of materials using a laser beam, where the laser beam generates high temperatures at the welded joint, causing the material to melt and form a weld, and high quality welding is achieved by controlling parameters such as the power, speed and focus position of the laser beam;

The laser beam can cause local melting or evaporation to form holes or patterns, and can also melt or change the organisational structure to form a hardened layer or improve material properties; the laser beam can even be used to melt metal powders or welding wires layer by layer to achieve rapid prototyping and customised production of metal parts.

Laser processing has a high degree of controllability, by adjusting the laser beam power, frequency, focusing and other parameters, you can achieve precise control of the processing depth, speed, shape, etc. Laser processing has a high degree of precision, high-speed processing, controllability and other characteristics, widely used in the field of machinery manufacturing.

Laser machine

Applications

1.Application of cutting and dowelling

Cutting down is a common application of laser processing technology, used to cut the material into the required shape and size.

Laser cutting has high precision and fineness, and the diameter of the laser beam can be controlled between a few microns and a few millimetres, which can realize the cutting of fine structures and complex shapes, and the cutting precision is affected by the quality of the laser beam, the precision of the focusing system and the characteristics of the material.

Laser cutting speed, high processing efficiency, the laser beam can be completed in a very short period of time to cut the material, suitable for mass production and high-efficiency processing, the cutting speed is affected by the laser power, the thickness of the material and cutting quality requirements.

Laser cutting can achieve high-quality cutting edges with small heat-affected zones and deformation. Cutting quality is affected by laser power, cutting speed, gas assist and material properties, and appropriate gas assist can help remove molten material and improve cutting quality.

A company that works with RuiYI has an offloading centre with a wide range of equipment, including fine plasma cutting, fibre laser cutting, flat bevel cutting, pipe penetration line cutting, drilling and cutting compound machines and profile cutting equipment, to provide offloading services for products from a wide range of manufacturing companies.

The product range of this discharging centre is wide, involving parts such as hoods, fuel tanks, cabs, etc. used in almost all major categories of construction machinery. The thickness of the cut material is mainly in the range of 1 to 25mm, and it can handle cutting from ordinary material Q235A to high-strength plates (up to 1000MPa).

The centre is also equipped with three 2D laser cutting machines (Fig. 1) and two 3D laser cutting machines (Fig. 2).

Fig 1 2d laser cutting

Fig. 2 3D laser cutting

Fig. 1 2D laser cutting machine Fig. 2 3D laser cutting machine These machines allow for finer and more complex cutting requirements. The company’s discharging centre has a wide range of laser cutting equipment, which can meet the discharging needs of construction machinery manufacturers and ancillary enterprises, providing high-quality and high-efficiency cutting services.

In the construction machinery plate processing industry, there are two main types of laser cutting machine technology products, namely CO2 laser cutting machine and fibre laser cutting machine. Choosing a laser cutting machine requires consideration of factors such as material thickness, cutting requirements, productivity and economic considerations.

CO2 laser cutting machine uses CO2 gas as the laser medium, through the electronic excitation of CO2 gas to produce a laser beam, CO2 laser cutting machine is suitable for cutting thicker materials, such as steel, stainless steel plate, etc., with higher power and larger cutting capacity, suitable for large plate cutting, CO2 laser cutting machine cutting speed is relatively slow, but the cutting quality is better.

Fibre laser cutting machine uses a fibre laser as the laser source, and transmits the laser beam to the cutting head through the fibre.

Fiber laser cutting machine is suitable for cutting thin materials, such as thin steel plate, aluminium plate, etc. It has high cutting speed and small heat-affected zone, and is suitable for high-speed cutting and fine cutting.

In addition to conventional laser cutting down, the laser cutting technology also has obvious application advantages in round hole cutting, reserving craft openings and craft sample making.

Laser cutting technology can realise high-precision round hole cutting, whether it is a single hole or an arrangement of multiple holes, which can be accurately completed by the laser cutting machine. Compared with the traditional drilling process, laser cutting can save the time of drilling and improve production efficiency.

In engineering machinery plate processing, sometimes need to reserve process openings on the plate for subsequent welding or assembly process, laser cutting technology can accurately cut out the required shape and size of the openings, to ensure the quality and accuracy of the openings, and improve production efficiency.

In engineering machinery plate processing, often need to make process samples, used to test and verify the cutting process, laser cutting technology can be designed to cut out the shape of the sample plate accurately, to ensure the accuracy and consistency of the sample plate. Compared with the traditional template production methods, laser cutting can save production costs and time.

2.Application in the field of welding

Structural parts in engineering machinery usually require large-scale welding, laser welding can achieve efficient, high-quality welding of structural parts, the high energy density of laser welding and the small heat-affected zone of the weld can achieve deep welding and reduce deformation, to ensure the strength and stability of the welded joint.

Laser welding can achieve high-speed, high-precision pipe welding, laser welding can be completed in a shorter period of time, reducing the production cycle and improving production efficiency.

Sheet metal parts in construction machinery usually need sheet metal welding, laser welding can achieve high precision, no deformation of the sheet metal welding, laser welding can be welded in a smaller heat-affected zone, reducing deformation and thermal damage, to ensure the quality and appearance of the welded joints.

Engineering machinery in some complex structural components, such as curved parts, shaped parts, etc., need to carry out complex structure welding, laser welding can achieve high quality welding of these complex structures, laser welding flexibility and focusing so that it can be welded in a narrow space and difficult to reach the region to meet the needs of complex structure welding.

For example, laser-dual wire MAG composite welding combines the technology of laser and composite MAG welding. It combines the advantages of laser and composite MAG welding to achieve a high quality and efficient welding process.

Laser welding is a high energy density welding method, through the focusing of the laser beam, the welding material will be rapidly heated to the melting or fusion state, to achieve the welding. Laser welding has the advantages of small heat-affected zone, fine weld seam and small deformation, and is suitable for precision welding and deep welding.

Composite MAG welding can provide higher welding speed and better seam quality, suitable for large-scale welding and high-efficiency welding.

The combination of the high energy density of laser welding and the stable welding process of composite MAG welding can achieve high-quality welded joints.

The small heat-affected zone of laser welding reduces distortion and heat damage, while composite MAG welding provides a stable welding arc and better weld quality.

For the specific welding requirements of construction machinery, it is necessary to select and adjust the laser power of laser – composite MAG welding, laser beam diameter, laser focal length, composite MAG welding current, voltage, wire type and wire feeding speed and other parameters, in order to achieve the best welding results.

According to the requirements of construction machinery welding, select the appropriate welding material, and clean, de-oil, de-oxide, to ensure the quality of the welding material and the surface state, in order to improve the welding quality and strength.

Laser-composite MAG welding requires laser equipment and composite MAG welding equipment to work together, debugging and optimisation of the welding equipment to ensure that the laser welding and composite MAG welding synergistic effect, adjusting the alignment of the laser equipment, the focus, as well as composite MAG welding equipment, such as current, voltage, gas flow and other parameters of the adjustment.

In the laser-composite MAG welding process, the need for real-time monitoring and control of the welding process, the use of sensors and monitoring systems to monitor the welding temperature, weld shape, welding speed and other parameters, as well as the detection of welding defects and quality problems, through real-time monitoring and feedback control, timely adjustment of the welding parameters to ensure that the quality and consistency of the weld, the need to carry out the welding quality inspection and assessment of welding joints, mechanical performance testing and fatigue life assessment, and the need to carry out welding quality inspection and assessment, mechanical performance testing and fatigue life assessment. Mechanical performance testing and fatigue life assessment to ensure the reliability and durability of welded joints.

3.Application of cladding technology

Laser cladding technology is a kind of technology that uses a laser beam to heat and melt the surface of the material, and then, cladding a layer of alloy material on it, which can form a layer of protective layer with specific properties on the surface of the material or repair the damaged part, in order to improve the material’s performance of abrasion, corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance and so on.

The surface of construction machinery will be affected by wear and tear, corrosion or fatigue and other factors, the performance will be reduced. And laser cladding technology can be used for surface repair. By cladding alloy materials on the damaged area, the original size and performance of the surface can be restored and the service life of construction machinery can be extended.

When some parts of construction machinery need to have special properties, such as high strength, high hardness or high wear resistance, etc., laser cladding technology can be used for material modification, through the parts on the surface of the special alloy material, can improve the performance of the material to meet the special needs of construction machinery.

For example, laser phase change hardening technology improves the hardness and wear resistance of materials by forming a high hardness phase change layer on the material surface through laser heating and rapid cooling.

The working principle is that the high energy density of the laser beam rapidly heats up the material surface, and at the same time, by controlling the scanning speed and power of the laser, the surface of the material is rapidly cooled, so as to form a phase change, and in the process of the phase change, the crystalline structure of the material changes, forming a phase change layer with high hardness.

After the formation of the phase change layer will be rapidly cooled and solidified to form a hard surface layer, the control of the cooling rate can affect the organisation and hardness of the phase change layer.

Development prospects analysed

1.Automation direction

The development of automation of laser processing technology in engineering machinery manufacturing is an important trend, which can improve the productivity, quality and flexibility of engineering machinery manufacturing and promote the development of the engineering machinery industry in the direction of automation.

Automated processing system can achieve automated control and monitoring of the laser processing process, equipped with automated workpiece clamping, laser head control, process parameter adjustment and other functions, so as to achieve the automation of the entire processing process.

Robotic laser processing system combines laser processing technology with robot technology to achieve automated processing of workpieces, laser processing according to preset paths and process parameters, which can be adapted to workpieces of different shapes and sizes and improve processing flexibility and efficiency.

Automated process planning and optimisation technology can automatically generate optimal laser processing paths and process parameters according to the geometry and processing requirements of the workpiece, reducing the need for manual intervention and trial and error, and improving processing consistency and efficiency. Through automated data analysis and feedback control, processing parameters can be adjusted in time to ensure the stability and consistency of processing quality.

Laser processing technology can be integrated with other automation equipment, such as automated conveyor lines, automated loading and unloading manipulators, etc., to achieve automated conveying, loading and unloading of workpieces and processing, and to improve the degree of automation and productivity of the entire production line.

2.Miniaturisation trend

The trend of miniaturisation of laser processing technology refers to the application of laser processing technology to the processing of small-sized workpieces and micro-structures. With the continuous progress of laser technology, smaller size laser beams and higher processing accuracy can be achieved, and laser microfabrication technology can be used for micro parts and microelectronic devices.

Through the high energy density and focusing ability of the laser beam, precise cutting can be achieved on microfine structures, such as microholes and microgrooves.

Laser micro-welding technology can be used for precise welding of micro-sized workpieces. Through the heat source and focusing ability of the laser beam, it can be used for the encapsulation of micro-electronic devices and the connection of micro-wires on micro-fine structures.

Through the high energy density and focusing ability of laser beam, it can realise micro-hole filters and micro-channels on micro-fine structures, and achieve high-throughput and high-precision micro-hole processing.

Through the high energy density and focusing ability of the laser beam, micron-level engraving and texture processing can be realised on microfine structures, achieving high-precision and high-resolution micro-engraving.

Conclusion

In conclusion, through an in-depth understanding of the application of laser processing technology in engineering machinery manufacturing, we can better understand its advantages and potential, and provide useful reference and guidance for the development of the engineering machinery manufacturing industry.

The application of laser processing technology will bring higher production efficiency, better product quality and broader development prospects for engineering machinery manufacturing.