Laser micromachining

Lasers are often used for precision machining and with the growth of activity in Microengineering the development of laser micromachining techniques has accelerated. At the simplest level lasers are used for precision drilling and welding in a wide variety of materials, but new techniques enable complex 3D patterns to be fabricated on planar or non-planar workpieces. Many different types of lasers can be used; the choice is usually determined by cost and throughput considerations as well as the machining resolution required. Although most laser systems can be used in some form or another to perform micromachining the major industrial laser systems, carbon dioxide (CO₂), neodymium YAG (Nd:YAG) and excimer, have the most developed techniques and will be the focus of this presentation