Product category:
Laser and high energy beam metalworking - machining or forming
News Release from: SPI Lasers UK | Subject: Fibre laser usage
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 March 2008
Fibre laser usage includes welding
plasdtics
Fibre lasers can be used for plastics welding for the medical and mobile phone industries, scribing and cutting polymers for the automotive industry and ablation of thin films.
SPI Lasers Applications Laboratory has announced that fibre lasers applications investigation work managed by Dr Tony Hoult is challenging the use of near infra red lasers using Areas include the following
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 15 Jun 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Fibre laser offers stable micro-machining
A 200W CW/modulated fibre laser offers high stability and a a wide range of pulsing functions for cutting and micro-machining and welding of metal, plastics and ceramic components.
Marking laser has 'Pulse Tune' technology
A MOPA configuration marking laser with proprietary 'Pulse Tune' technology is finding markets and applications across the electronics industry well beyond its core marking systems base.
* Plastics welding for the medical and mobile phone industries.
* Scribing and cutting polymers for the automotive industry.
* Ablation of thin films for the photovoltaic industry.
Further reading
Fiber lasers challenge near infra red lasers
Fiber lasers are challenging near infra red lasers as the best process for plastics welding for medical industries, scribing and cutting polymers for automotive industry and ablating of thin films.
Choosing a laser profiling resonator
Laser profiling technology has bought about incredible innovation in the metal fabrication industry and Matt Orford compares the benefits of three types of laser profiling system resonators.
Applications for the water-jet cutting process
High-speed prototyping and flexible, just-in-time production are well suited to water-jet alongside new applications including cleaning, recycling and decommissioning.
The above applications are showing excellent results when processed with a fibre laser, said SPI to manufacturingtalk.
SPI added that it is expecting more results for the fibre laser in the near future as SPI is asking for more organisations to come forward with further challenges for the fibre laser.
* Plastics welding - one of the most recent examples of the more surprising results produced by SPI's Applications Laboratory (Lab) is plastics welding.
The welding of plastics was not thought to be suitable for either the high brightness of fiber lasers or the beam characteristics.
However, when tested by the Applications Lab, a careful manipulation of the laser beam has made it very easy to produce welds in polymers that are efficient, precise and time saving.
These types of plastics welds are commonly produced for the medical and mobile phone industries.
* Cutting polymers - other examples include cutting polymers for the automotive industry, scribing and cutting alumina, and cutting and micro-machining of silicon.
Also of real interest currently is the laser ablation of thin films for the photovoltaic industry.
In this case, using very high laser frequencies up to 500kHz for thin film removal produces very precise material removal.
This means that the base material, be it glass, plastics or silicon, remains untouched when processed by one of our lasers.
Dr Hoult said: "This is the first time in the laser industry that such high repetition rates have been available from this type of laser - and it brings a totally new level of control and sophistication to a wide range of very precise surface removal and surface structuring processes, at a cost comparable to that of an industrial marking laser.
As a result of this, more costly diode pumped solid state lasers, at up to five times the price, can in many cases be replaced by a fibre laser from SPI Lasers".
These results follow an announcement from the Applications Laboratory in September, 2007, that when cutting silicon using a 200W CW-M 1070nm fibre laser, cutting speeds of up to 6m/min on 200 micron thick polycrystalline silicon were readily achieved.
This was also a surprising new application for fibre lasers, said SPI.
SPI Lasers is expecting the results produced by the Applications Lab to continue to expand the perceived capabilities of the fibre lasers, as the Applications Lab is open to requests for more proof of concepts.
Device and component manufacturers, academic institutions and system integrators from around the globe are actively encouraged to work with SPI on their own application specific trials.
Each request is assessed on a case by case basis for proof of principle and, if approved, is provided at no cost to the applicant.
Jeffrey C Kabahit, the laser applications engineer at the Applications Lab, said, "When we first opened the facility, we were inundated with requests for proof of principle.
We approached each request with a can-do attitude and have been amazed at some of the results".
* Scribing thin films in the solar energy industry - the solar energy market is becoming a significant sector for the use of SPI fibre lasers.
Having only discovered that fibre lasers were a good match for elements of the solar industry in the summer of 2007, SPI Lasers had to date identified various aspects of the solar energy industry, such as scribing of thin films, edge isolation, silicon drilling and cutting of crystalline silicon solar cells, which are making a high impact in the solar energy market and are requesting solar manufacturers to come forward to test these and other uses for the fibre laser.
The solar energy market is currently experiencing significant growth in size, geographic expansion and technology proliferation.
Technical evaluations have revealed that SPI's pulsed fibre laser can be used in a number of key applications for the manufacture of solar cells.
"Since entering the sector only six months ago, SPI has already gained more than five new solar customers," said John Tinson, vice president of sales for SPI Lasers.
He continued: "And many more are currently evaluating SPI's lasers".
The types of uses for the lasers can be varied.
SPI see a lot of emphasis going into thin film technologies where the use of lasers for selective fine scribing of thin films is a growing application area.
Thin films of materials such as molybdenum, ITO and TCO typically in the order of a few micron thick on glass substrates are used and need to be scribed.
SPI's pulsed lasers are ideal for this application as their high repetition rates allow for sufficient pulse overlap at high processing speeds.
"Many of these materials only require low pulse energies to remove the layer without damaging the substrate and can benefit from the lasers' ability to operate of pulse frequencies up to 500kHz," said Jack Gabzdyl, business development manager of SPI Lasers.
Within silicon solar cell technology there are also a number of target applications including edge isolation and silicon cell cutting.
Conventional q-switched lasers are used for crystalline silicon edge isolation but can suffer from high levels of debris and micro cracking.
Initial trials with SPI's pulsed fibere laser have shown that using high pulse frequencies result in significant improvements in scribe quality".
"Using low pulse energy short pulses give enhanced control of the heat input into the process and helps reduce debris and minimise the thermal damage," said Dr Hoult.
SPI has also developed a proprietary silicon cutting process that is well suited for cutting of crystalline silicon solar cells.
Cutting speeds in excess of 6m/min can be achieved with just 200W with smooth cut edges.
The process can be used to cut shapes, which is seen as a limitation of conventional saw or scribe and break techniques.
Lasers are making a major impact in manufacturing solar cells.
A number of other applications such as welding, soldering, drilling and edge deletion are all being developed for the solar market within SPI's applications laboratory with fibre laser solutions.
SPI told manufacturingtalk that it is certain that it had not yet uncovered all the potential uses for lasers within the solar industry and is requesting companies to come forward to test samples in the Applications Lab.
This is a free of charge, proof of principle concept that is the fast track way to conduct application trials.
* Laser work to produce solar cells - Dr Hoult reported having had promising results in processing 0.2-0.8mm thick polycrystalline silicon as used in solar cell production.
Using a 200W CW-M 1070nm fibre laser with a novel cutting technique, cutting speeds of up to 6m/min on 200 micron thick silicon ribbon have been readily achieved.
Analysis of the cuts show very smooth surfaces with minimal debris or spatter, 40 micron kerf with no appreciable taper.
All this indicates a promising and somewhat surprising new application for these fundamental wavelength fibre lasers, said SPI.
SPI has joined with the Cambridge Institute of Manufacturing in the UK, recent purchasers of 200W SPI Fibre Lasers, and other laser based research institutes around the world with similar equipment, to conduct more detailed tests further trials.
Dr Bill O'Neill, of the CIM said: "The current laser cutting process requires expensive DPSS lasers which require higher levels of maintenance and are considerably slower.
The early promise shown by the SPI Laser trials will prove of real benefit to a rapidly growing sector which aims to reduce cost, increase throughput and improve product energy conversion efficiency".
Said Gabzdyl: "In addition to the silicon cutting, SPI Lasers see a number of new exciting opportunities within the solar industry for fibre lasers including; thin film removal, edge deletion and silicon scribing and are looking forward to delivering these to the market".
SPI are now talking with companies to conduct field trials.
The company would like to extend this invitation to device and component manufacturers, academic intuitions and system integrators from all four corners of the globe to work with SPI on their own application specific trials.
Requesting a proof of principle is the 'fast track' way to conduct application trials.
In addition, SPI offer a 'try before you buy' programme and SPI provides a progressive program to support academic and not for profit research centres.
• SPI Lasers UK: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
