Professor William Steen was, until his retirement in 2000, the Chair of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Liverpool.

He started one of the first University-based research schools in laser material processing in the world at Imperial College, London in 1968. Since then he and his group have played a leading role in developing many of the processes discussed in this book, processes that are making the laser a manufacturing tool of great importance.

Professor Steen is one of the founder members of the Association of Industrial Laser users (AILU) of which he was the first President. He was also a Director of the Laser Institute of America.

Jyoti Mazumder is the Robert H. Lurie Professor of Mechanical Engineering, a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, the Director of the Center for Laser-Aided Intelligent Manufacturing, and the Director for the NSF I/UCRC for Lasers and Plasmas for Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Michigan. He was an early student of Professor Steen's and obtained his PhD at Imperial College in 1978.

Professor Mazumder's research interests include: transforming the field of materials processing by laser from a technological art to scientifically based-engineering; laser aided manufacturing; atom to application; technical approach including on-line optical diagnostics, transport phenomena modeling, non-equilibrium synthesis of materials with tailored properties, and their evaluation and characterization. He has used earlier editions of this book in his class teaching for many years. He was the author of Laser Processing: Surface Treatment and Film Deposition.

Professor Mazumder is a fellow and ex-President of the Laser Institute of America and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Laser Applications. He has numerous awards and honours to his name. Jyoti Mazumder's research group operates on funding from TRW (automotive safety systems); Defense Advanced ResearchProject Agency; National Science Foundation; Office of Naval Research; GE-AEBG; Delphi-Packard; and Ford.

Professor Mazumder's authorial input will ensure that the content of the book continues to represent the most up-to-date knowledge in the field and keeps abreast of teaching trends in the subject.

Gives students all they need to know to gain work using lasers in an industrial environment

Provides and excellent place to start for the in-depth academic study of any of the large number of laser-based techniques discussed

For tutors, end-of-chapter cartoons will make a great way to lighten the atmosphere of lectures

Includes supplementary material: [...]