Hardening with high-power diode laser

Abstract

Laser hardening enables us to treat selectively the elements or their parts which could not be hardened by another methods up to now. It creates new possibilities in the area of structural design. The laser hardening process is fully automated – the laser head is mounted in the industrial robot grip while specialistic software, cooperating with CAD/ CAM systems, makes it possible to lay out the laser beam path. Owing to shortening the time of the element heating, the negative thermal influence (surface deformations) is reduced. The process eliminates also the phenomenon of partial melting of material surface is achieved in consequence of maintaining of constant value of the heating temperature.