Laser-enhanced Wear Resistance
Free-electron lasers can be used for hardening, smoothing, texturing, and improving the corrosion resistance of metals. These applications have been demonstrated using conventional lasers, but for lack of suitable high-power, low-cost lasers, they have not yet been commercialized.
Ref.: Kelley, M. J.: An FEL for the Polymer Processing Industries. SPIE Int'l Society for Optical Eng., 1997, SPIE 2988 , pp. 240-244.