Lasers have been around for over 55 years and are now reliable and efficient tools for manufacturing. The uptake of laser material processing can transform the UK economy by increasing exports, making goods & services more competitive and reducing manufacturing leadtimes whilst increasing flexibility.
Presentation given at IFB2016 in Liverpool on 16 June by AILU President Ric Allott
Integration and Automation in Practice: CI/CD in Mule Integration and Automat...
Lasers Power UK Business Growth
1. Lasers have the power
to drive UK Businesses
The Association of Industrial Laser Users
Dr Ric Allott – President
16 June 2016
2. • What is a laser?
• 55 years of progress
• Laser processing applications
• How is the UK leading this technology?
• Who are the global brands already
using laser material processing?
• Case study – Smartphones
• Case study – Automotive
• AILU – promoting laser use
Contents
3. Lasers: invented in the 1960s
“…No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” - Goldfinger (1964)
4. What is a laser?
Ultra-Violet
(UV)
Infra-Red
(IR)
Visible light
400 nm 700 nm 1,070 nm 10,600100 nm
Fibre laser CO2
• Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
• An intense light source with a single colour (wavelength)
• Light is coherent (in phase)
• Very bright - can be focused to very small spot
Green laser
Excimer laser
5. Laser sources are now:
• More compact
• More efficient (Wall plug efficiency)
• More reliable (solid-state)
• Cheaper per kW
• Brighter (better beam quality)
• Delivered by Fibre Optic (no mirrors)
• Shorter pulses and wavelengths
Improvements (first 55 years)
6. Improvements made (2 kW laser)
1998 2012
1998 2012
Volume 2.3 m3 0.5 m3
Weight 700 kg 150kg
Mains power 80 kW 8 kW
Optical fibre 0.6 mm 0.05 mm