High precision laser hardening method using dummy irradiation for small and thin parts: fundamental study on hardening and deformation

Abstract

ABSTRACTA laser hardening process has received much attention because of its ability as a local heat treatment method without requiring a cooling solution. A local heat treatment with a small power density can result in the small deformation of the workpiece that can be performed without a post-process for finishing. However, such superior features can be demonstrated in the case of a workpiece with a large volume and a heat capacity for self-cooling. Small and thin parts such as brake disks and miniature guide rails might not have enough volume or heat capacity to show the features. Therefore, we propose a novel method that completes the heat treatment and deformation-less processes only using a laser. The method has a laser irradiation for hardening and another one for deformation correction. In the present paper, we carried out a fundamental study on hardening and deformation and demonstrated the potential of the proposed method.