(Newswire.net — June 16, 2020) —
The relatively new technology of laser drilling has revolutionized the drilling industry. This process involves the application of laser light to cut holes into any surface. It is still a novel technology that continues to undergo development and research. However, it has already proven its capacity for efficiency and precision.
Laser Drilling does not Use any Surface Contact to Make Holes.
While other more traditional techniques of drilling use a physical drill bit that makes contact with the hard surface, laser drilling applies the heat of the laser light to make holes into the desired surface. When exposed to the laser, the surface will typically melt and vaporize into the atmosphere. The absence of debris or metal swarf from the drilling process is significant because it results in a cleaner hole. The beam of laser light is not continuous. Instead, this light is emitted in pulses, and each pulse of laser light burns and vaporizes the material until the hole is complete.
It Results in More Accurate and Precise Holes
Unlike traditional, mechanical drilling, laser drilling enables smaller and more precise holes and incisions to be made. The Journal of Applied Physics notes that this process can be replicated at quite a fast rate, making laser drilling perfect for industrial use. It is notable that this typically involves a motionless laser emitting a high concentration of energy. Not only are the holes neater, but they are cleaner and use less energy to make. This capability makes it one of the most cutting-edge and adaptable innovations in manufacturing right now. With laser drilling, one can make incredibly some holes and incisions that would otherwise prove hard to make.
Its Versatility makes it a Perfect Fit for the Manufacturing Industry.
What’s more? In addition to its precision, laser drilling can work on just about every material Laser drilling makes the process much faster and precise. Its versatility makes it the perfect fit to work across a range of materials. Laser drilling is easily adaptable to metal, plastic as well as ceramics and glass. Its use ranges from hard gemstones to brittle surfaces such as glass, making this revolutionary technology a mainstay of industrial drilling.
Laser Drilling also Enjoys Use in the Oil Industry
Even the oil and gas exploration and drilling industry have affirmed this efficiency. Mechanical drilling does not seem to satisfy the growing need and demand for oil and gas. As such, what is needed is a new and revolutionary method that rises to the occasion. Laser drilling seems to be the ready answer. It is the latest development that offers a change and the newest development in oil and gas drilling. Mechanical drilling has long required tons of heavy equipment and human resources, not to mention a lot of energy. This problem is compounded by the presence of hard layers or strata of rock. As such, mechanical drilling is both difficult and uneconomical. Thankfully, laser drilling does not only drill the wells with more precision and accuracy but also does so in a shorter time.
There are Several Types of Laser Drilling
Renowned research website ScienceDirect points out that there are four main types of laser drilling in use at the moment; helical trepanning, single-pulse drilling, trepanning and percussion drilling. The type of laser drilling is mainly dependent on the task at hand.
Laser Drilling is Heavily Energy-Dependent
All that efficiency, precision and accuracy does come at a cost, though. Laser drilling does consume a tremendous amount of power and energy to operate. Consequently, it is a rather expensive process of drilling. As a result, only a few manufacturers can afford to use laser drilling for their daily operations. According to the Laser Focus World magazine, laser drilling enjoys prominent use in the aviation industry and the electronics industry, because the making of small and precise holes is highly prioritized.
All told, laser drilling presents a newer, cleaner, more precise and faster way of making holes for a wide range of industries.