Laser Processing of Materials for Advanced Manufacturing

A Special Issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717) belonging to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 857

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Guest Editor
TEMA— Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: cork; composites; shear thickening fluids/gels; impact testing; numerical simulation; welding; additive manufacturing; biomechanics; hybrid composites; metamaterials; protective devices/systems; laser processing
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Guest Editor
Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi 835215, India
Interests: laser material processing; advanced welding technologies; additive manufacturing; micro-manufacturing; application of finite element method in manufacturing processes; decision engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Laser-based technologies play a central role in modern manufacturing and mechanical engineering, offering high precision, flexibility, and efficiency in materials processing. From macro-scale joining operations to micro- and nano-scale surface structuring, laser processes enable the fabrication of high-performance components across metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, and multi-material systems.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in laser processing technologies with a strong focus on process engineering, materials performance, and industrial applications. Contributions addressing both fundamental aspects of laser–material interaction and applied research in manufacturing environments are welcome.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

-Laser welding and joining;

-Laser cutting and drilling;

-Laser surface treatment (hardening, cladding, alloying, remelting);

-Laser additive manufacturing (e.g., powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition);

-Surface functionalization and texturing;

-Residual stress and distortion control;

-Microstructure evolution and phase transformations;

-Laser forming processes;

-Process modeling and numerical simulation;

-Process monitoring and real-time control;

-Mechanical performance and structural integrity of laser-processed components;

-Process optimization and industrial scalability;

-Sustainability and energy efficiency in laser manufacturing.

Original research articles, review papers, and case studies demonstrating industrial implementation are encouraged. Submissions bridging process parameters, microstructural development, and mechanical performance are particularly welcome.

Dr. Fábio Fernandes
Dr. Bappa Acherjee
Guest Editors

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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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes 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.

Keywords

  • laser processing
  • laser welding
  • laser joining
  • laser cutting
  • laser cladding
  • laser surface hardening
  • laser additive manufacturing
  • directed energy deposition
  • powder bed fusion
  • laser surface engineering
  • microstructure evolution
  • residual stress
  • melt pool dynamics
  • process simulation
  • finite element modeling
  • process monitoring
  • mechanical properties
  • structural integrity
  • manufacturing processes
  • industrial applications
  • sustainable manufacturing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 7181 KB  
Article
Investigating the Mechanical Properties of Joint in Dissimilar Laser Welding of Polypropylene to Polyethylene
by Maged Faihan Alotaibi
Processes 2026, 14(11), 1833; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14111833 - 5 Jun 2026
Viewed by 470
Abstract
Joining dissimilar polymers such as polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) remains a challenge in modern manufacturing due to their incompatible thermal properties and poor interfacial bonding. In this study, a novel hybrid structure was fabricated by laser welding of PP to an [...] Read more.
Joining dissimilar polymers such as polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) remains a challenge in modern manufacturing due to their incompatible thermal properties and poor interfacial bonding. In this study, a novel hybrid structure was fabricated by laser welding of PP to an HDPE matrix reinforced with 3 wt% carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The CNTs were incorporated via fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing to raise the melting temperature and thermal stability of HDPE, thereby minimizing the thermal mismatch with PP. A pulsed CO2 laser was used to perform butt welding, and the influences of pulse frequency, welding speed, and laser power on the elastic modulus and tensile properties of the weld samples were thoroughly studied. A response surface design was employed to build predictive models and perform multi-objective optimization. The addition of CNTs, as evidenced by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), elevated the crystallinity level of HDPE from 48.3% to 53.1% and the melting point from 137.8 to 140.8 °C, making its thermal properties more comparable to those of PP. Observations via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that when the optimal parameters were applied (pulse frequency: 35 Hz, welding speed: 21 mm/s, and laser power: 49 W), the joint line was defect-free, fully fused, and contained very few voids. At these settings, the model estimated an elastic modulus of 793 MPa and a tensile strength of 49.6 MPa, while confirmation experiments yielded 47.2 MPa and 764.5 MPa, respectively, with relative errors below 5%. The results demonstrate that the combination of CNT-assisted laser welding and RSM-driven optimization effectively resolves the thermal incompatibility of HDPE and PP, thereby facilitating high-quality joining of dissimilar polymers for applications in packaging and automotive fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing of Materials for Advanced Manufacturing)
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