Advancements in Laser Welding and Laser Micromachining of Metallic and Non-Metallic Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Laser technologies have become essential tools in modern manufacturing, enabling higher precision, flexibility, and efficiency in the processing of both metallic and non-metallic materials. Over the past decades, laser welding processes, micromachining, and laser processes in general have evolved significantly, following the advances in laser sources, beam delivery systems, process monitoring, and computational modeling, driving the development of increasingly sophisticated applications. These technologies now play a central role in industries ranging from aerospace, automotive, and energy to microelectronics, medical devices, and advanced materials engineering.

By bringing together research spanning fundamental science, applied engineering, and industrial practice, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in laser welding, micromachining, and other industrial laser processes. Thus, we welcome contributions that not only present novel experimental and computational results but also critically challenge current limitations and propose future research directions. Interdisciplinary studies combining materials science, mechanical engineering, optics, and computational methods are particularly welcome.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Laser welding of metallic and non-metallic materials, including steels, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, polymers, composites, and hybrid structures, with attention to joint quality, microstructural evolution and addressing challenges of thermal management, bonding mechanisms, and interfacial properties.
• Laser micromachining techniques, including drilling, cutting, surface texturing, and structuring at micro- and nano-scales, for applications in electronics, photonics, and biomedical devices.
• Optics and beam shaping techniques with emphasis on novel designs, power management techniques, ultrafast optics, diffractive optics, and scanning methods.
• Process monitoring and control, using sensors, machine vision, artificial intelligence, and data-driven approaches to improve repeatability, quality assurance, and defect detection.
• Modeling and simulation of laser-material interactions, including thermal, mechanical, and multiphysics approaches for predicting weld pool dynamics, material removal, and microstructural transformations.
• Hybrid and advanced processes, such as laser-arc hybrid welding, ultrafast laser micromachining, and additive manufacturing strategies incorporating laser joining or finishing.
• Industrial applications and case studies, demonstrating the successful translation of laboratory innovations into real-world production environments.

Dr. Andrea Ancillao
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• laser
• welding
• micromachining
• optics
• process quality
• plastic welding
• metal welding
• beam shaping