The LaserON research group, part of the Research Centre for Technologies, Energy and Industrial Processes (CINTECX) at the Universidade de Vigo, has recently edited Laser Based Manufacturing, a book that provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of laser-based manufacturing technologies. The volume has been published by the prestigious international publisher CRC Press, part of the Taylor & Francis Group, as part of its Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing series.
The book was edited by seven researchers associated with the LaserON group: Juan Pou, Fernando Lusquiños, Mohamed Boutinguiza, Félix Quintero, Antonio Riveiro, Rafael Comesaña and Jesús del Val. The publication draws on the scientific expertise accumulated by the group over more than 30 years of research into laser materials processing, as well as its close collaboration with leading international researchers and institutions.
“With this book, we wanted to bring together in a single volume the fundamentals of the main laser manufacturing technologies and some of the most recent advances in this field. It is also the result of many years of work by our group and the scientific collaborations we have developed with researchers from different countries”, explains Juan Pou, coordinator of LaserON.
The centres involved in the preparation of the different chapters include the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Germany), Laser Zentrum Hannover (Germany), the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre at the University of Sheffield (United Kingdom), Ruhr University Bochum (Germany), KU Leuven (Belgium), the Universitat de Barcelona and Leibniz University (Germany), among others. This international participation reflects the network of scientific collaborations that LaserON has built and consolidated over the years.
From industrial manufacturing to micro- and nanotechnology
Across its 15 chapters, Laser Based Manufacturing covers both the physical principles governing the interaction between laser radiation and materials and the main technologies currently used in industry. These include laser cutting, welding, surface coating, additive manufacturing and laser marking.
The book also pays particular attention to more advanced technologies, such as two-photon absorption polymerisation, laser-induced material transfer, nanofibre fabrication and nanoparticle synthesis. In this way, it covers applications ranging from conventional industrial manufacturing processes to the production of materials and structures at the micro- and nanoscale. It also includes chapters on process modelling, the latest technological advances and sustainability, an increasingly important consideration in the implementation of new manufacturing technologies.
A contribution to education and research
The publication is primarily aimed at researchers, professionals and engineering students interested in laser technologies and their industrial applications. Its purpose is to provide a reference work that combines scientific fundamentals with descriptions of technological processes and the latest advances in the field.
The publication of this book also represents recognition of the long-standing work of the LaserON group at the Universidade de Vigo, which has been conducting research into laser materials processing for decades and contributing to the advancement of these technologies through scientific publications, patents, research projects and collaborations with companies and national and international research centres.