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Advances in Laser Materials and Processing Technologies

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2023) | Viewed by 8256

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Matija Jezeršek

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Guest Editor

Laboratory for Laser Techniques, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: laser welding; laser material processing; laser ablation; adaptive control of process parameters
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Laser materials processing enables many unique advantages due to the special properties of laser light, such as the use of a high-intensity laser beam at the micrometer scale, ultrashort pulses of energies, and almost zero mass of processing tools, which results in fast and flexible movement for the laser beam over the processing area. Lasers represent an indispensable processing tool in industrial production processes, medicine, and cutting-edge research in the processing of advanced materials. With the development of new laser systems, the horizon of usability and variety of innovative applications is constantly expanding.

This Special Issue covers recent advances in basic and applicative research and the development of laser processing technologies. The topics of interest include but are not limited to laser processing of advanced materials for e-mobility, energy storage, tribology, soft robotics, and medicine. The issue will cover a broad spectrum of technologies, such as well-established welding, cutting, and drilling, as well as advanced laser-based 3D printing, micro- and nanostructuring, and cleaning techniques. In addition, progress reports in laser optics for beam guiding and focusing, process monitoring, and real-time control are also highly welcome.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, short communications, as well as reviews would be greatly appreciated.

Dr. Matija Jezeršek
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. Materials 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 2600 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.

Keywords

advances in laser materials processing
laser processing of advanced materials
laser microstructuring and nanostructuring
laser welding
laser cutting
laser drilling
laser-based 3D printing
laser-based cleaning
laser optics
monitoring and control of laser processes
simulation and modeling of laser processes

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 4052 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Combined Laser Thermal and Shock Wave Effects on the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Steels

by Anatoly Bragov, Andrey Lomunov, Evgeny Rusin, Gennady Gavrilov and Andrey Kurkin

Materials 2024, 17(8), 1809; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17081809 - 15 Apr 2024

Viewed by 315

Abstract

Herein, we present the results of an experimental study on the mechanical properties of Fe-C alloys with different carbon contents (0.2, 0.45, and 0.8%) in a wide range of deformation rates (10⁻³–10³ s⁻¹) and abrasive wear resistance, which underwent combined laser thermal (laser surface hardening—LSH) and laser shock wave (Laser Shock Peening—LSP) processing. The combined treatment modes included a different sequence of exposure to laser thermal and laser-induced shock pulses on the material. The amplitude and duration of laser-induced shock waves were measured using a laser Michelson interferometer. The mechanical properties of steel samples were studied under conditions of uniaxial tension under static loads on a standard universal testing machine, the LR5KPlus, and under dynamic loading, tests were carried out on a specialized experimental complex according to the H. Kolsky method using a split Hopkinson rod. The abrasive wear resistance of hardened surfaces was studied using the Brinell–Haworth method. Studies have shown that the use of a combination of LSH and LSP treatments leads to an increase in both the mechanical properties of steels and abrasive wear resistance compared to traditional laser hardening. It has been established that in the combinations considered, the most effective is laser treatment, in which LSP treatment is applied twice: before and after LSH. Thus, after processing steels using this mode, an increase in the depth of the hardened layer was recorded—by 1.53 times for steel 20, by 1.41 times for steel 45, and by 1.29 times for steel U8—as well as a maximum increase in microhardness values by 22% for steel 20, by 27% for steel 45, and by 13% for U8 steel. The use of this mode made it possible to obtain the maximum strength properties of the studied materials under static and dynamic loading, which is associated with an increase in the volume fraction of the strengthened metal and high microhardness values of the strengthened layer of traditional LSH. The dependences of abrasive wear of the studied steels after various combinations of LSP and LSH impacts were established. It is shown that the greatest wear resistance of the studied steels is observed in the case when the LSH pulse is located between two LSP pulses. In this case, abrasive wear resistance increases by 1.5–2 times compared to traditional LSH. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Laser Materials and Processing Technologies)

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13 pages, 4712 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Surface Conditions after LASER Shock Peening of Steel and Aluminum Alloys Using Ultrafast Laser Pulses

by Jan Schubnell, Eva-Regine Carl, Ardeshir Sarmast, Manuel Hinterstein, Johannes Preußner, Marco Seifert, Christoph Kaufmann, Peter Rußbüldt and Jan Schulte

Materials 2023, 16(20), 6769; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16206769 - 19 Oct 2023

Viewed by 783

Abstract

Laser shock peening (LSP) is a mechanical surface treatment process to modify near-surface material properties. Compared to conventional shot peening (SP) the process parameters can be finely adjusted with greater precision and a higher penetration depth of compressive residual stresses could be reached. However, high process times of LSP leads to high production costs. In this study, ultrafast LSP (U-LSP) with an ultrafast laser source (pulse time in the picosecond range) was applied on specimens made of X5CrNiCu15-5 and AlZnMgCu1.5. The surface characteristics (surface roughness) and surface-near properties (microstructure, residual stresses, and phase composition) were compared to the as-delivered condition, to conventional laser shock peening (C-LSP), and to SP, whereas metallographic analyses and X-ray and synchrotron radiation techniques were used. The process time was significantly lower via U-LSP compared to C-LSP. For X5CrNiCu15-5, no significant compressive residual stresses were induced via U-LSP. However, for AlZnMgCu1.5, similar compressive residual stresses were reached via C-LSP and U-LSP; however, with a lower penetration depth. A change in the phase portions in the surface layer of X5CrNiCu15-5 after C-LSP compared to SP were determined. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Laser Materials and Processing Technologies)

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13 pages, 3160 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Laser-Induced Fabrication of Micro-Optics on Bioresorbable Calcium Phosphate Glass for Implantable Devices

by Devanarayanan Meena Narayana Menon, Diego Pugliese, Matteo Giardino and Davide Janner

Materials 2023, 16(11), 3899; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16113899 - 23 May 2023

Viewed by 1140

Abstract

In this study, a single-step nanosecond laser-induced generation of micro-optical features is demonstrated on an antibacterial bioresorbable Cu-doped calcium phosphate glass. The inverse Marangoni flow of the laser-generated melt is exploited for the fabrication of microlens arrays and diffraction gratings. The process is realized in a matter of few seconds and, by optimizing the laser parameters, micro-optical features with a smooth surface are obtained showing a good optical quality. The tunability of the microlens’ dimensions is achieved by varying the laser power, allowing the obtaining of multi-focal microlenses that are of great interest for three-dimensional (3D) imaging. Furthermore, the microlens’ shape can be tuned between hyperboloid and spherical. The fabricated microlenses exhibited good focusing and imaging performance and the variable focal lengths were measured experimentally, showing good agreement with the calculated values. The diffraction gratings obtained by this method showed the typical periodic pattern with a first-order efficiency of about 5.1%. Finally, the dissolution characteristics of the fabricated micropatterns were studied in a phosphate-buffered saline solution (PBS, pH = 7.4) demonstrating the bioresorbability of the micro-optical components. This study offers a new approach for the fabrication of micro-optics on bioresorbable glass, which could enable the manufacturing of new implantable optical sensing components for biomedical applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Laser Materials and Processing Technologies)

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12 pages, 11281 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ultrafast Infrared Laser Crystallization of Amorphous Si/Ge Multilayer Structures

by Alexander V. Bulgakov, Jiří Beránek, Vladimir A. Volodin, Yuzhu Cheng, Yoann Levy, Siva S. Nagisetty, Martin Zukerstein, Alexander A. Popov and Nadezhda M. Bulgakova

Materials 2023, 16(9), 3572; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16093572 - 06 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1613

Abstract

Silicon–germanium multilayer structures consisting of alternating Si and Ge amorphous nanolayers were annealed by ultrashort laser pulses at near-infrared (1030 nm) and mid-infrared (1500 nm) wavelengths. In this paper, we investigate the effects of the type of substrate (Si or glass), and the number of laser pulses (single-shot and multi-shot regimes) on the crystallization of the layers. Based on structural Raman spectroscopy analysis, several annealing regimes were revealed depending on laser fluence, including partial or complete crystallization of the components and formation of solid Si–Ge alloys. Conditions for selective crystallization of germanium when Si remains amorphous and there is no intermixing between the Si and Ge layers were found. Femtosecond mid-IR laser annealing appeared to be particularly favorable for such selective crystallization. Similar crystallization regimes were observed for both single-shot and multi-shot conditions, although at lower fluences and with a lower selectivity in the latter case. A theoretical analysis was carried out based on the laser energy absorption mechanisms, thermal stresses, and non-thermal effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Laser Materials and Processing Technologies)

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14 pages, 3500 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing a Support Vector Regression (SVR) Model for Prediction of Main and Lateral Bending Angles in Laser Tube Bending Process

by Mehdi Safari, Amir Hossein Rabiee and Jalal Joudaki

Materials 2023, 16(8), 3251; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16083251 - 20 Apr 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1101

Abstract

The laser tube bending process (LTBP) is a new and powerful manufacturing method for bending tubes more accurately and economically by eliminating the bending die. The irradiated laser beam creates a local plastic deformation area, and the bending of the tube occurs depending on the magnitude of the heat absorbed by the tube and its material characteristics. The main bending angle and lateral bending angle are the output variables of the LTBP. In this study, the output variables are predicted by support vector regression (SVR) modeling, which is an effective methodology in machine learning. The SVR input data is provided by performing 92 experimental tests determined by the design of the experimental techniques. The measurement results are divided into two sub-datasets: 70% for the training dataset, and 30% for the testing dataset. The inputs of the SVR model are process parameters, which can be listed as the laser power, laser beam diameter, scanning speed, irradiation length, irradiation scheme, and the number of irradiations. Two SVR models are developed for the prediction of the output variables separately. The SVR predictor achieved a mean absolute error of 0.021/0.003, a mean absolute percentage error of 1.485/1.849, a root mean square error of 0.039/0.005, and a determination factor of 93.5/90.8% for the main/lateral bending angle. Accordingly, the SVR models prove the possibility of applying SVR to the prediction of the main bending angle and lateral bending angle in LTBP with quite an acceptable accuracy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Laser Materials and Processing Technologies)

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12 pages, 1878 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Highly Regular LIPSS on Thin Molybdenum Films: Optimization and Generic Criteria

by Juraj Sládek, Kryštof Hlinomaz, Inam Mirza, Yoann Levy, Thibault J.-Y. Derrien, Martin Cimrman, Siva S. Nagisetty, Jan Čermák, The Ha Stuchlíková, Jiří Stuchlík and Nadezhda M. Bulgakova

Materials 2023, 16(7), 2883; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16072883 - 04 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1444

Abstract

A systematic experimental study was performed to determine laser irradiation conditions for the large-area fabrication of highly regular laser-induced periodic surface structures (HR-LIPSS) on a 220 nm thick Mo film deposited on fused silica. The LIPSS were fabricated by scanning a linearly polarized, spatially Gaussian laser beam at 1030 nm wavelength and 1.4 ps pulse duration over the sample surface at 1 kHz repetition rate. Scanning electron microscope images of the produced structures were analyzed using the criterion of the dispersion of the LIPSS orientation angle (DLOA). Favorable conditions, in terms of laser fluence and beam scanning overlaps, were identified for achieving DLOA values <10

^{\circ}

. To gain insight into the material behavior under these irradiation conditions, a theoretical analysis of the film heating was performed, and surface plasmon polariton excitation is discussed. A possible effect of the film dewetting from the dielectric substrate is deliberated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Laser Materials and Processing Technologies)

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Review

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25 pages, 10685 KiB

Open AccessReview

Femtosecond Laser Direct Writing of Flexible Electronic Devices: A Mini Review

by Shutong Wang, Junjie Yang, Guoliang Deng and Shouhuan Zhou

Materials 2024, 17(3), 557; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17030557 - 24 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1143

Abstract

By virtue of its narrow pulse width and high peak power, the femtosecond pulsed laser can achieve high-precision material modification, material additive or subtractive, and other forms of processing. With additional good material adaptability and process compatibility, femtosecond laser-induced application has achieved significant progress in flexible electronics in recent years. These advancements in the femtosecond laser fabrication of flexible electronic devices are comprehensively summarized here. This review first briefly introduces the physical mechanism and characteristics of the femtosecond laser fabrication of various electronic microdevices. It then focuses on effective methods of improving processing efficiency, resolution, and size. It further highlights the typical progress of applications, including flexible energy storage devices, nanogenerators, flexible sensors, and detectors, etc. Finally, it discusses the development tendency of ultrashort pulse laser processing. This review should facilitate the precision manufacturing of flexible electronics using a femtosecond laser. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Laser Materials and Processing Technologies)

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