ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the applications of lasers in material processing. The broad range of applications which is driving this market development is illustrated in using automotive production as an example. In today’s car numerous parts are produced using lasers, mainly in the field of welding and cutting. Cutting flat sheet steel is the biggest market segment for today’s high-power laser systems. The starting process in laser materials processing is always the absorption of a raw or focused laser beam at the surface of the workpiece. However, for laser cutting and welding the environment of the absorption zone changes significantly during processing. Much higher absorption is achieved due to absorption at higher angles of incidence and multiple reflections in the absorption zone. Intensive developments are going on worldwide with the aim of providing new lasers to overcome these drawbacks. Diode pumping of solid state lasers instead of lamp pumping will raise their efficiency, reliability and beam quality.
