Talk:Laser peening

The 'hand-held' laser device noted in the current article is described as a tool for creating *hardness* in a workpiece. http://www.laser-zentrum-hannover.de/de/publikationen/pressemitteilungen/2006/20060928-handlaser-hardening-en.php Laser Peening is used to create a deep compressive stress in the workpiece, not harden it. Laser Hardening is typically a localized heat treatment where rapid heating and cooling of the part produces a hard surface. It's difficult to tell what the LZH tool is actually doing from the published information.

The two Laser Peening applications with the greatest commercial promise are 1) increasing fatigue life and 2) panel forming operations. —

This quote seems misleading: "Prototype laser peening machines were developed in the 1970s, but they and subsequent versions over the past two decades were not cost effective because the lasers lacked the high repetition rate required for treating parts rapidly." It's a direct quote from the linked article, but it's meant to lead into the rest of the article, which describes the system that has overcome the apparent limitations. At least, that's how I read it. For example, a couple paragraphs down, they state, "The first commercial use of the technology is expected in late 1999. With Livermore support, Metal Improvement Co., the nation's leading provider of metal-peening services, has been introducing the new product to the manufacturing and user community and has received very high interest. Hackel anticipates that many companies will send parts to Metal Improvement Co. for treatment, engineering evaluation, and production. An option for large firms like aircraft and automobile parts manufacturers is purchasing and operating their own Lasershot system." --Mr z (talk) 08:38, 4 January 2014 (UTC)