Laser applications in the manufacturing process

The use of lasers is seen by many as a means to revolutionising existing processing techniques and as a tool for improving product accuracy and enabling the required quantum leaps on overall productivity improvement. The most common use of lasers in ship building has been for alignment and measuring purposes using helium neon lasers for accurately positioning datum points e.g. alignment of keel blocks as a platform for steelwork assembly, alignment of shaft lines for positioning engines and propeller shaft supports. British Shipbuilders has been sponsoring research at the Department of Naval Architecture, University of Newcastle, into the use of higher power lasers for materials processing in steelwork fabrication, concentrating on cutting and welding where the advantages over conventional processes are higher processing speeds, reduced distortion, ease of automation and accuracy. The author discusses the use of high power lasers in shipbuilding