Scientists use lasers to put a shine on metals.Byline: ANIWashington, November 7 (ANI): Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT ILT infectious laryngotracheitis. in Aachen, Germany, have developed a way of automating the polishing work on metals, by using lasers. Polishing injection molds is a time-consuming and monotonous, requiring highest levels of concentration, because any blemish blem·ish n. A small circumscribed alteration of the skin considered to be unesthetic but insignificant. blemish in the mold can render it useless. A skilled worker may often need a whole week to polish a single metal mold. Up to now, it has not been possible to use machines for this dreary drea·ry adj. drea·ri·er, drea·ri·est 1. Dismal; bleak. 2. Boring; dull: dreary tasks. work because they cannot get into the curved shapes. Now, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen have developed a way of automating the polishing work. "We do not polish the surface by hand with grinding grinding, process by which surface material is removed from an object, usually metal, by the abrasive action of a rotating wheel or a moving belt that contains abrasive grains. and polishing media. Instead we use a laser," explained Dr. Ing Dr. Doctor. dr. dram. . Edgar Willenborg, group leader at the ILT. "The laser beam melts the surface to a depth of about 50 to 100 micrometers. Surface tension ensures that the liquid metal flows evenly and solidifies smoothly," he added. Like in conventional grinding and polishing, the process is repeated with increasing degrees of fineness. In the first stage, the researchers melt the surface to a depth of about 100 micrometers, in further steps they gradually reduce the depth. "We can set the melting depth by means of various parameters: the laser output, the speed at which the laser beam travels along the surface and the length of the laser pulses," stated Willenborg. The time gained by laser polishing and the cost saving achieved are enormous. Whereas a skilled polisher needs about 10 to 30 minutes for each square centimeter centimeter (sĕn`tĭmē'tər), abbr. cm, unit of length equal to 0.01 meter, the basic unit of length in the metric system. The centimeter is the unit of length in the cgs system. It is approximately equal to 0. , the laser polishes the same area in about a minute. A prototype of the laser polishing machine developed by the scientists in cooperation with mechanical engineering firm Maschinenfabrik Arnold has already been built. Willenborg estimates that the system will be ready for industrial use in one to two years' time. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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