LASER MACHINING OF ADVANCED MATERIALS

Advanced materials are becoming increasingly important as substitutes for traditional materials and as facilitators for new and unique products. They have had a considerable impact on the development of a wide range of strategic technologies. Structural ceramics, biomaterials, composites and intermetallics fall under this category of advanced materials. There may be several additional materials in this category, but this book will only focus on these four types of materials.

Even though some of these materials can be machined by conventional methods, material processing with lasers is an expanding field which is drawing attention of everyone in the industry as well as academics. As laser machining offers several advantages such as capabilities for machining the materials that are difficult to machine otherwise and flexibility and automation, the scope for applications of these advanced materials is further extended.