Generic beryllium disk-drive component cut by laser from 0.5 mm beryllium sheet in less than 20 sec. On a microscopic scale, the cut edges were acceptable, and the part easily met tolerance requirements. No machining damage. For large-scale production, a more powerful laser could be used and the beam split to cut several parts from a sheet at the same time. Potentially, piping a laser beam into a single designated room for beryllium cutting operations would reduce the number of beryllium workers and their possible exposure to its particulates.
Laser cutting is easily and precisely controlled by computer.
Autogenous Laser Welding Autogenous welding is a simpler process and results in a more homogenous junction of the two pieces being welded-a more preferred method to welding with fillers. However, many metals and alloys do not lend themselves to autogenous welding. We successfully developed autogenous laser welding of structural grades of beryllium, satisfying a need to join beryllium caps to beryllium cylinders to encapsulate a nontoxic hydride-eventually using the cylinder as a prototype component in a power source for a satellite. Photo illustrating a typical laser-weld fusion zone. Each individual ridge reflects the individual laser pulse.