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September 10, 2019
The laser ablation systems market is expanding with a 5.8 percent growth rate forecast through 2025. This growth includes a rise in demand for laser ablation equipment for laboratory and research testing, due to the improved accuracy and precision these systems provide. Manufacturers are also adopting these technologies, which provides new market opportunities for laser ablation systems. This blog post summarizes some of the most promising applications that are fueling growth in the laser ablation system market.
Plant research
Traditionally, plant researchers have had to perform laborious cutting of ultra-thin specimens, however laser ablation tomography is a new technology which speeds the analysis of specimens for biology and materials science. In this process, the surface of the specimen is ablated and subsequently imaged, and the process repeats. This allows scientists to image thousands of slices of the specimen, enabling a digital reconstruction of the specimen which highlights further their structure, composition, and chemistry.
Mining ores and elemental extract research
The analysis of mineral samples requires an emphasis on details to identify potentially profitable trace metals and valuable secondary resources. New ultraviolet laser ablation technology provides a clearer picture of samples’ elemental composition. According to mining-technology.com, “This new system vaporizes samples into particles, which are then transported through a helium gas stream into a mass spectrometer for a full breakdown of the material’s elemental make-up.”
Chemistry and Geochemistry
Spectroscopyonline.com reports that laser ablation has become a dominant technology for direct solid sampling in analytical chemistry and that the advantages of laser ablation chemical analysis for this purpose include direct characterization of solids, no chemical procedures for dissolution, reduced risk of contamination or sample loss. Using laser ablation for this application is ideal because it is very versatile and allows for the analysis of very small samples not separable for solution analysis in addition to the determination of spatial distributions of elemental composition.
Safety Analysis
Berkeley University Lab scientists are pioneering laser ablation techniques that can detect explosives and hazardous waste in seconds. The technology can save the lives of soldiers, keep children safe from toys illegally coated with lead paints, and protect workers from chemical poisoning.
Electronic Manufacturing
Laser ablation is being used extensively for laser cutting operations in the electronics industry due to its cost-efficiency and ability to accurately cut extremely small and intricate parts. The miniaturization trend in the electronics industry requires the ability to produce ever smaller components and circuits. This is an area where tremendous growth is seen both in North America and in the Asia Pacific region.
Advancing technologies provide growth for laser ablation systems
While laser ablation has been widely adopted in medical treatment and life sciences research field, new applications and innovations are providing better research methodologies for scientists and advanced, more efficient processes for manufacturers. To learn more about Quantum Composer's laser ablation systems, please contact us. Learn more about the capabilities of our newest laser system, the MiniJewel Laser System.