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Laser heat treatment

Introduction to Laser Heat Treatment Technology

Principles of Laser Heat Treatment

Laser heat treatment is to irradiate a high-energy laser beam and harden the surface of metal through heating and self-cooling. The irradiated area is quickly and efficiently heated at an austenitizing transformation temperature in a short time. When the irradiation is completed, it rapidly self-cools through heat conduction of the base material and is transformed into a martensite structure and hardened. Because laser heat treatment irradiates only necessary parts, the heat effect on the area around the heating part is exceedingly small and the treatment speed is fast, so distortion or deformation can be minimized and higher surface hardness can be obtained. This surface hardening not only increases wear resistance, but also increases fatigue strength, achieving long product life. Because laser heat treatment enables real-time temperature control, a higher level of quality can be stably achieved even in mass production and small-volume production processes compared to other heat treatment processes. In particular, it is applied to molds, powder metal parts, and high torque parts such as cams, cranks and couplings.

Benefits of Laser Heat Treatment in Terms of Cost

The laser heat treatment service is a much more cost-effective heat treatment technology than the existing heat treatment process when considering the initial quality, treatment time, and pre- and post-treatment of parts. The diode laser heat treatment process is essentially a LEAN process. Since diode laser heat treatment is local heat treatment, only the area where the laser beam is irradiated is affected by heat, so the amount of deformation can be greatly reduced or eliminated.

Applied Materials and Products

  • Carbon alloy steel and cast iron
  • Bearing surface
  • Forming tools, such as press molds, trim molds, and injection molds
  • Stamping die
  • Powder metal parts
  • Rails
  • Cutting surface or innovative
  • Turbine blade
  • Gears, pulleys and cams
  • Valve seat and seal surface

Advantages

  • Selective hardening of only necessary parts (local heat treatment)
  • Minimization of deformation or deformation within the error range
  • Precise heating and control
  • Eco-friendly dry process that does not require quenching oil or coolant
  • No need for absorbent coatings in the process
  • Clean product surface with no surface contaminants
  • Heat treatment possible for complex shapes
  • Higher hardness can be achieved without cracking
  • Improvement of fatigue life of powder metal parts and drive system parts
  • Quality achievable by real-time temperature control
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