The types and applications of lasers in industrial automation equipment

Lasers are widely used in industrial automation for various applications such as cutting, welding, marking, drilling, and cleaning. Different types of lasers are chosen based on their gain medium, operating mode, output power, and wavelength. Solid-state lasers like YAG and YVO₄ are used for precision processing, while gas lasers like CO₂ are ideal for cutting and welding. Semiconductor lasers are compact and efficient, and fiber lasers offer high – quality beams. Continuous wave lasers are suitable for continuous processing, whereas pulsed lasers are ideal for precision tasks. Infrared lasers are used for metal processing, visible – light lasers for display and diagnostics, and ultraviolet lasers for micro – and nano – processing.

The types and applications of lasers in industrial automation equipment are as follows:

I. Classification by gain medium

• Solid-state lasers
  • YAG laser: The laser medium is a YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) crystal doped with neodymium. It has high energy and power, and is suitable for laser marking, cutting, and welding. It is commonly used in the automotive manufacturing and aerospace industries.
  • YVO₄ laser: The laser medium is a YVO₄ crystal doped with neodymium. It has high-quality laser output and is used for precision processing, such as the micro-processing of electronic components.
• Gas lasers
  • CO₂ laser: The gain medium is CO₂ gas, which emits far-infrared light. It has a wide range of power outputs and high energy conversion efficiency. It is widely used for cutting and welding of metals and non-metals, such as sheet metal processing and plastic processing.
  • HeNe laser: The gain medium is a mixture of helium and neon gases. It has stable laser beam quality and is commonly used in precision measurement and scientific research.
• Semiconductor lasers: The gain medium is semiconductor material. They are small in size, efficient, long – lived, and low – power. They are commonly used in electronics and information, laser printing, laser pointers, and optical communications.
• Fiber lasers: The gain medium is a rare – earth – doped fiber. They have high – quality laser beams, high conversion efficiency, and are maintenance – free. They are suitable for laser cutting, welding, and marking, and are one of the mainstream lasers in the industrial processing field.

II. Classification by operating mode

• Continuous wave (CW) lasers: They can continuously output laser beams for a long time, with high thermal effects, and are suitable for processes that require continuous heating, such as laser cutting and welding.
• Pulsed lasers: They output laser beams in pulses, with high peak power and low thermal effects. Depending on the pulse duration, they are classified into long – pulse (millisecond, microsecond), short – pulse (nanosecond), and ultra – short – pulse (picosecond, femtosecond) lasers. Ultra – short – pulse lasers have high processing precision and are suitable for micro – and nano – processing and precision drilling.

III. Classification by output power

• Low – power lasers: They have low power output and are suitable for laser marking and precision micro – processing, such as marking on electronic components and processing of small parts in medical devices.
• Medium – and high – power lasers: They have higher power output and are suitable for laser cutting and welding, capable of processing thicker metals or non – metals, such as body welding in automotive manufacturing and large – scale sheet metal cutting.

IV. Classification by output wavelength

• Infrared lasers: They have longer wavelengths and higher energy, and are suitable for metal processing, laser welding, and cutting, such as CO₂ lasers and some fiber lasers.
• Visible – light lasers: They have moderate wavelengths and are suitable for laser display and medical diagnostics, such as HeNe lasers.
• Ultraviolet lasers: They have shorter wavelengths and higher energy, with high processing precision, and are suitable for micro – electronics processing, semiconductor manufacturing, and high – precision drilling.

Applications of lasers in industrial automation equipment

• Laser cutting: High – energy – density laser beams are used to heat materials, causing them to melt or vaporize, thereby achieving cutting. Fiber lasers and CO₂ lasers are commonly used for cutting, and they can cut a variety of materials, including metals, plastics, and wood.
• Laser welding: Laser beams are used to locally heat the surface of workpieces, causing the materials to melt and join together. YAG lasers and fiber lasers are commonly used for welding and are suitable for industries such as automotive manufacturing and aerospace.
• Laser marking: Laser beams are used to mark, engrave, or identify objects by adding text, patterns, barcodes, etc. Fiber lasers and ultraviolet lasers are commonly used for marking, which has the characteristics of high precision, high contrast, and permanence.
• Laser drilling: High – energy – density laser beams are used to penetrate materials to form holes. Ultra – fast lasers and CO₂ lasers are used for drilling and are suitable for micro – hole processing in electronic components and medical devices.
• Laser cleaning: Laser beams are used to remove dirt, rust, and other contaminants from the surface of materials through thermal or photochemical effects. Fiber lasers can be used for cleaning metal surfaces.