Laser Forming Washington DC

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Laser forming (LF) has become a viable process for shaping metallic components as a means of rapid prototyping, precision adjustment, aligning, removing distortion and creating 3D complex shapes. The laser forming process is of significant value to industries, such as aerospace, automotive and microelectronics, which previously relied on expensive stamping of dies and presses for prototype evaluations.

In contrast with the conventional forming techniques, this method requires no mechanical contact and thus promotes the idea of “Virtual Tooling? It offers many advantages in the process flexibility associated with other laser manufacturing techniques like laser cutting and marking. Laser forming can produce metallic, predetermined shapes with minimal distortion. The process is similar to torch flame bending used on large sheet material in the ship building industry but can achieve a more controlled final product.

Laser forming appeared at the end of twenty century and is still a developing area in the laser engineering world. The main advantage of this non-contact forming method is that there is no “spring back?effect. Some laser formed 3D curvatures can not be achieved by conventional mechanical methods. Rapid laser forming can be accomplished using a laser marker system equipped with fast galvo-mirrors. Fast scanning optics can change the LF regime and expand development of forming thin section components.

Researches on laser forming since the mid-1980s addresses potential applications of thicker section 2D and 3D laser forming for ship construction and aerospace sectors. 2D laser forming encompasses laser forming operations that utilize two dimensional out-of-plane bends to produce three dimensional results e.g. a fold, while 3D laser forming encompasses laser forming operations that can utilize combinations of multi-axis two dimensional out-of plane bends and in-plane localized shortening to produce three dimensional spatially formed parts e.g. a dome.

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