Introduction: In recent years, China's hardware manufacturing industry has boomed, and sheet metal processing has also gained unprecedented development opportunities. In 2009, the total output value of the sheet metal processing industry has reached 420 billion yuan. The sheet metal industry is one of the most important application markets for laser processing, and the booming huge market provides a broad space for the large-scale application of laser processing (laser oem) machine tools in the sheet metal industry.

3.3 Laser drilling technology

Holmium laser drilling technology is a laser technology that realizes practical application early in laser material processing technology. Laser drilling in sheet metal workshops generally uses pulsed lasers with high energy density and short time. It can process small holes of 1 μm. It is especially suitable for processing small holes with a certain angle and thin materials. Deep holes and tiny holes in parts of taller or more brittle and softer materials.

Holmium lasers can be used to punch holes in the burner parts of gas turbines. The punching effect can be achieved in three dimensions and the number can reach thousands. Perforable materials include stainless steel, Inconel, and HASTELLOY-based alloys. Laser drilling technology is not affected by the mechanical properties of the material, and it is relatively easy to realize automation.

3.4 Laser forming technology

The laser forming technology of the sheet metal workshop includes laser impact forming technology and laser bending forming technology, etc., which can realize the processing of curved plates, hemispheres, spheres and parts with special cross sections. Concave and convex shapes can also be machined on complex pipes.

Holmium laser impact forming technology uses a laser source to irradiate the cover of sheet metal parts, and the sheet cover is plastically deformed when heated. Laser bending forming technology uses a laser source to irradiate the part that needs to be bent. After being heated, it is rapidly cooled to produce bending deformation. Laser bending forming technology is especially used for mass production of bending forming of sheet metal parts.

  4 Conclusion

With the increase of China's opening to the outside world, the sheet metal processing industry is bound to follow the development trend of the international market, and the transformation of processing technology is bound to be obtained. As a new process, laser processing technology is the product of modern scientific development. Laser cutting technology, laser welding technology, laser drilling technology and laser forming technology are increasingly used in sheet metal processing. At the same time, the automated production model has been verified as a scientific and reliable processing mode by developed western countries. Therefore, sheet metal manufacturing technology is developing in the direction of digitalization, integration, and intelligent informationization. Transformed to NC multi-machine compound type, from multi-process processing, manual auxiliary operation type to full-process integrated processing mode, from general process automation control to networked and intelligent autonomous management.