Are femtosecond lasers really any different from other pulsed lasers?
Yes. Here’s why:

 

When the pulses of light from a femtosecond laser hit a solid—whether metal, polymer, even diamond—the solid target is instantly vaporized into a cloud of charged particles. That cloud of material is simply blown away. What is unique about the process is that it happens faster than heat can transfer through the material. Your part never sees heat.Some refer to it as cold ablation.

Machining without Heat

Talk to any process engineer manufacturing precision parts, and he or she will tell you that heat is the enemy. Heat compromises part integrity. Heat creates defects that have to be reworked. Heat drives manufacturing costs up.

The magic of femtosecond laser technology is that it enables the removal of material without generating heat. This means that not only can you make smaller features , but you only have to make them once. There is no reworking of parts, no compromises in quality, throughput or yield.

The Material Is Immaterial

While traditional machining methods have limitations in terms of the materials they can process, femtosecond lasers are unique in their ability to machine any material, whether metal, semiconductor, polymer, or dielectric. This material independence gives our customers valuable flexibility on their production floors.

Nitinol Precision cut Gorilla Glass® A microfluidic valve seat machined in polycarbonate Nanostructured silicon