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Laser advancements continue to wow people worldwide. The newer lasers boast better performance, higher productivity, and improved reliability.
As a result, they have become commonplace in skincare treatments, teeth whitening, welding, and even automotive operations.
We look at what trends are ranking high in the laser industry and what you can expect in the next decade:
Top laser trends
Since the innovation of lasers, they have proven more effective than traditional production methods. So, it makes sense that most laser developments have geared towards making industrial work easier as follows:
Laser welding
Remember when welding usually involved melting base metals to fuse joints? Now things have changed, and lasers are taking over.
Welders are now using laser beams for keyhole and conduction-limited welding. And as you may have guessed, the precision around the joints is considerably better than with traditional welding.
Laser cutting
Think back to a few decades ago when cutting metals involved a lot of crude work. Industrial workers often ended up with products of varying measurements.
And they spent a lot of time rectifying these errors. But now, they can cut through materials with lasers.
Not only is the process fast, but it is also precise, doing away with the room for error. Plus, this type of cutting works on all types of materials.
Most cutting lasers depend on diode laser technology which relies on light from several diodes.
It directs this light to create a single beam that is strong enough to cut through materials like copper and aluminum. These lasers can even cut through dense materials while maintaining their precision.
Laser cleaning
You may have heard of people getting their teeth whitened with lasers. Well, this cleaning has a similar approach.
It uses a laser beam to eliminate materials from a solid surface, thus resulting in a “clean” surface. Thanks to its efficiency, the cleaning industry is embracing this method.
After all, why scrub when you can irradiate the debris away? So, what kinds of lasers are effective in cleaning? Fiber lasers top the list, though other laser options work well.
These lasers can irradiate almost anything from surfaces, including contaminants and rust. Depending on the optical components in play, they can even eliminate oxides.
Laser engraving
Engraving has always been a prized art. People would engrave their names on rings, jewelry, and surfaces, somehow leaving a mark.
And while this art was instrumental in many ways, it had a lot of room for error. Plus, it only allowed the artists to produce a few engraved items at a time.
Then came the laser – technology that could leave engraving marks on surfaces within instants. And to make matters even better, it could repeat the same patterns for hours without erring!
Many engravers now use fiber laser machines because they have a lower footprint than their CO2 lasers. Besides, these machines are highly effective in making etches too.
Laser marking
Marking might be similar to engraving, but there is one distinction – marking should barely scratch the surface. After all, it is a way to identify an object but should not dent it.
Even so, traditional marking ways have often fallen short. At times, the marks have been deeper than necessary. And at others, the marks have been so light that they wear off sooner than they should.
Lasers solve this problem by marking objects at the required depth and repeating the same marks on each object. A good example of laser marking would be the CO2 laser marker.
This laser works on all kinds of non-metallic materials, including stone, plastic, and textiles. Its marks are prevalent in the food packaging industry, where marks are integral to identification and food safety.
Other forms of laser use include laser hair removal, laser skin tightening, and laser bumps removal. Lasers can do so much that the advancements we see are just the beginning of something sure to blow our minds.
EKSMA Optics provides a wide range of components suited for various laser applications to ensure they are safe, effective, and adaptable.
Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
Editors’ Recommendations:
- The CR-Falcon is a 10W laser engraver that modifies various materials
- This high-powered laser can ‘write’ in thin air
- The Ortur Laser Master 2 S2 brings high-tech laser engraving to consumers
- The Aufero Laser 1 is the newest entry-level laser engraver from Ortur
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. However, our opinions, reviews, and other editorial content are not influenced by the sponsorship and remain objective.
