Special Issue on Laser Machining

Laser machining is widely applied in manufacturing processes thanks to the laser oscillator’s improved stability and to the emergence of new laser types. Laser machining has gone from microscale applications, such as semiconductor dicing to large-scale applications such as automobile-body welding, and laser power now ranges from several watts to several kilowatts. Machining tasks using lasers have expanded from conventional drilling, cutting, and welding to additive manufacturing, the internal machining of transparent materials, and surface texturing. Understanding these processes comprehensively requires that we study individual elements such as oscillators, focal optics, scanners and stages, and numerical control. This special issue features 13 research articles – one review and 12 papers – related to the most recent advances in laser machining. Their subjects cover the various machining processes of drilling, deposition, welding, photo curing, texturing, and annealing on the latest laser machines and in the newest applications. We deeply appreciate the careful work of all the authors and thank the reviewers for their incisive efforts. Without these contributions, this special issue could not have been created. We also hope that this special issue will trigger further research on laser machining advances.