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Laser Drilling Machines
Frequently Asked Questions
Laser drilling is the removal of solid material through the use of a pulsed laser beam. The amount of material that can be removed in a single laser pulse is primarily determined by the optical properties of the material and the laser output parameters (pulse energy, wavelength, etc.). By tailoring the temporal and spatial shape of the pulses the shape of the hole can be controlled with a high degree of precision.
Thanks to the high degree of accuracy laser drilling machines are used in applications that demand high precision and reproducibility. Many industries including medical equipment manufacturing, aeronautics, automotive rely on laser drilling machines to generate highly accurate repeating holes. Laser drilling has also become an essential part of jewelry making, allowing holes to be made on delicate objects and even treating diamonds to reduce the visibility of dark inclusions that reduce their clarity grade.
Laser drilling is one of the most efficient and precise methods of making holes in materials. It has numerous advantages, including precision, efficiency, and high throughput. It is also less likely to cause material damage, requires no consumables (e.g. oil required in mechanical drilling). Laser drilling can also control both the size and the shape of the holes with a great precision. It is able to make much smaller holes than other methods.
Laser drilling is a highly precise process. By controlling the parameters of the output beam you can focus the laser beam to a very narrow focal spot and create holes as small as 0.002" (50 um).
Laser drilling employs a laser source (CO2, Solid state or fiber laser) that typically operates in a pulsed mode producing short (nanosecond long) laser pulses. When you focus these laser pulses on a substrate they locally heat the material and ablate small amounts in a control fashioned. A typical laser drilling machine has also a beam steering mechanism that positions the laser beam on the sample. For more on this topic please check out the “Did You Know” section on this page and the links therein.
Laser drills mostly use CO2, Diode Pumped Solid State (Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO4, etc.) or Fiber Lasers. For certain applications Excimer lasers are the preferred choice. All these choices of laser sources offer well developed laser technologies that have reached a high degree of reliability. CO2 lasers operate in the IR region (10.6um), whereas most solid state lasers are in the near IR or visible region (1um or smaller). The choice of the wavelength depends on the material being drilled. Fiber Lasers have significantly advanced in the recent years offering superior beam quality at competitive prices.
Laser drilling can create holes in almost any material, including metals, ceramics, plastics, silicon, rubbers, and glass. Thanks to the controlled nature of ablation during the drilling process laser drilling machines can work even with brittle materials with some exceptions of course.
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