Method for treating an object with a laser
AssigneeETA SA Fabriques d'Ebauches
InventorsYves Bellouard, Thomas Lenhert, Jacques-Eric Bidaux, Reymond Clavel
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Abstract
The invention concerns a method whereby at least a predefined zone (A) of the object (2) is irradiated with a laser beam (4) capable of heating said zone sufficiently, to a temperature less than the material melting point, to provoke a change in the microstructure (for example crystallisation or recrystallisation) of said zone, said zone being heated at a temperature and for a time interval not rendering the material amorphous. The invention is applicable for example to reversible actuators and grippers.
Claims7
Method for treating an object made of a material capable of exhibiting a shape memory effect, but having an amorphous or work-hardened structure with no shape memory before said treating, this method being characterised by:
- irradiating at least a pre-defined zone of this object by a laser beam able to heat this zone sufficiently, to a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the material, to cause, in said zone, a microstructure change selected from among a crystallisation, recrystallisation, secondary crystallisation, controlled formation of precipitates and annihilation of crystalline faults;
- and heating said zone to a temperature and for a time which are not able to cause amorphisation of the material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.