Laser Breakthrough
Lasers on Active Military Duty Source: Stock Image of Military Jets Laser Aircraft Repairs Engineers at RMIT University in Australia are developing laser technology to manufacture and repair steel and titanium parts for defense aircraft. The process sends metal powder into a laser beam, scans the powder across the surface and adds new material in a precise, web-like formation. It's basically a high tech welding process that makes or rebuilds metal parts layer by layer. The bonded metal has similar properties to the original metal and in some cases superior. Laser Tech Being Tested The process is being tested on defense aircraft in Australia. The value could be two-fold: saving time and money. Onsite repairs on military aircraft would save time as opposed to waiting for days for parts to be delivered from a warehouse. Also it saves money as the part is fixed instead of being replaced. The RMIT researchers say that by enabling on-site production and re...