TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– The paper aims to provide a review of the use of lasers in industry, with an emphasis on applications in manufacturing and material processing.Design/methodology/approach– Following an introduction to lasers and their development, this paper considers a selection of key material processing applications.Findings– This shows that, since their invention in 1960, lasers have emerged to play a vital role in numerous industrial processes. Gas (CO2), solid‐state, excimer, semiconductor and fibre lasers are used in welding, soldering, drilling, cutting, micromachining, marking, engraving, heat treatment, material deposition and adhesive curing.Originality/value– The paper provides a detailed review of the uses of lasers in industrial material processing and also places these applications in an historical context.
VL  - 30
IS  - 4
SN  - 0144-5154
DO  - 10.1108/01445151011075771
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/01445151011075771
AU  - Bogue Robert
PY  - 2010
Y1  - 2010/01/01
TI  - Fifty years of the laser: its role in material processing
T2  - Assembly Automation
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 317
EP  - 322
Y2  - 2024/05/08
ER  -