Questions on Lasers in Industry

1. What are some advantages of using lasers in materials processing?
2. What are some problems of using lasers in materials processing?
3. Describe the sequence of events that occurs when the intensity of laser light absorbed by a piece of metal increases.
4. What is a plasma and how does it limit the effectiveness of a laser in cutting metal?
5. What is heat treating?
6. What is welding?  What are some welding applications for which lasers are particularly suited?
7. What was the first commercial application of laser drilling?
8. What kinds of materials are particularly suited for laser drilling?
9. What is laser assisted cutting?  How is the cutting actually done?
10. What two methods using a laser can measure distances in surveying applications?
11. What is LAGEOS and what is it used for?
12. Describe how a supermarket scanner works.
13. What is a ring laser and how is it used in a laser gyroscope?