Thanks to its particularly high power, precision and flexibility, the tool »laser« makes a great deal of applications possible in many branches of the manufacturing industry. Whether for the machine building industry, precision engineering, electronics, the plastics industry or the metalworking industry, Fraunhofer ILT develops sophisticated production processes, high-performance laser systems and optimized beam sources for tasks tailored to a customer’s specific needs.
Laser-beam sources with specifically optimized properties – such as wavelength, beam shape and density, pulse shape and duration or power – open up a broad spectrum of applications. Ultrashort pulse lasers are suitable, for example, for high-precision surface structuring down to the subnanometer range, solid-state lasers or diode lasers with high output in the kW range for laser-based cutting applications or EUV beam sources for precise analysis and lithography applications.
The spectrum of laser processes developed at the Fraunhofer ILT is wide-ranging. These include, among others, cutting and joining processes, micro- and nano-ablation, polishing, drilling, internal engraving, micro-soldering, micro-welding, laser-based hybrid processes, hardening, alloying, structuring or additive manufacturing. In addition to process development, the Fraunhofer laser experts also attend to modeling and simulation, control technology, sensor-based process monitoring and control as well as the conception and development of prototypes and pilot plants.
In measurement technology, Fraunhofer ILT offers solutions to problems in industry, bioanalytics and environmental technology. Inline measurements of physical and chemical parameters allow efficient process control in production. Within a short time, the laser can identify the materials of a component. This way, materials or raw materials can be reliably characterized, sorted or recovered. In bioanalysis, laser spectroscopic methods can be used to obtain, for example, molecule-specific information in high throughput.