Laser shock peening
Improvement of the mechanical properties of the material by laser shock peening. Shock waves (> GPa) applied to metallic materials improve their fatigue resistance and their resistance to corrosion.
The characteristics of the laser shock peening process:
Advantages
- Deep residual stresses
- Improved resistance to fatigue and corrosion
- Treatment of hard to reach areas
- Increased surface and near surface durability
- Shaping of the piece possible by introducing stresses
Performance
- Depth of residual stresses up to a few mm
- 165% improvement in fatigue and corrosion resistance compared to an untreated sample
- 65% increase in surface and near surface durability down to 200 μm depth
Throughput
Average duration of treatment: 25 mm2.min-1
Laser workstation
- IR or green laser, ns pulse, > 500 mJ, up to 100 Hz
- Fixed beam focused in front of the moving part
Surface finish
Average surface roughness after treatment < 5 μm for an initial surface finish of 1 μm
Material used for laser shock peening:
- Aluminium alloy
- Steel alloy
- Titanium alloy
Process sheet
Areas of application
- Aeronautic
- Automobile
- Energy
- Watchmaking
Associated products or services
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Selective ablation
The use of a specific pulse duration and/or suitable wavelength(s) makes it possible to work in a condition where the surface layer ablation threshold is lower than the substrate’s. -
Etching - Controlled ablation
Laser engraving is carried out by removing material layer by layer to obtain a 2D or 3D effect on all material types. -
Machining of transparent materials
Cutting, welding, drilling and engraving of transparent materials with minimization of mechanical stress. Short or ultra-short pulse lasers allow transparent materials to be machined with or without removal of material and to modify their intra-volume physical properties. -
Laser drilling
Laser drilling makes it possible to create through or blind holes with variable shape and high aspect ratio, on all types of materials and thicknesses. -
Laser cutting
Laser cutting enables precision part production of all material types, even of transparent and hard materials such as SIC and diamond. -
Surface texturing
Laser texturing and surface functionalization make it possible to create effects or generate new properties on all surface types.