Press Releases

Galvanometer scanners have been in use in laser material processing for decades. However, a team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT has now developed a new, particularly compact scanner module for applications in 3D printing, micromachining or medical technology. The researchers have already successfully tested it for various applications. The scanner will be on display at LASER World of Photonics 2023 in Munich.

Humans have been using fire for two million years. Humans have lived in the glow of electric light for over 100 years. Light is energy, light is heat, light is the foundation of life in our world as we know it. Light has changed humankind in essential areas of life: for example, in medicine, in communication, in energy production.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT are developing technology for quantum networks of the future. Funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the institute is installing hardware of a network node on location, as it is also used in the quantum internet demonstrator of QuTech in Delft in the Netherlands. The hardware will initially serve as a test and development platform, which the scientists want to use to develop new components for networking quantum computers with partners from industry and research on site in Aachen. In the future, the node is to be integrated into a European quantum network. Initial results will be presented at the "World of QUANTUM" trade fair in Munich at the end of June.

An electric snowmobile at LASER World of PHOTONICS 2023 in the summer! Why? Trade show visitors have the Finnish startup Aurora Powertrains Oy from Rovaniemi to thank for this premiere of the Arctic kind. Aurora has developed cold-resistant batteries with extremely high energy density for the Arctic temperatures of this region, and the customized joining technology required for this comes from the laser welding experts at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT has developed a new hybrid process called Simultaneous Machining and Coating (SMaC), which combines laser material deposition with turning, grinding or milling. SMaC allows high-strength coating materials to be applied quickly and efficiently and machined simultaneously. SMaC will enable the industry to produce components with an extended service life and extended operating cycles, an advantage that is highly attractive for the energy industry, the mobility sector and the chemical industry.

Collaboration between TRUMPF, Fraunhofer ILT and DESY provides the most detailed of insights into laser welding processes to date thanks to the particle accelerator // Fraunhofer expert Marc Hummel: "We have now been able to clearly prove for the first time that raw materials can be saved in the welding high-performance electronics by using lasers with green wavelength."

High-performance battery cells are a crucial prerequisite for electrifying the mobility sector. In light of this, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen have developed innovative laser-based technologies for producing lithium-ion batteries that, compared to those produced conventionally, can be charged more quickly and have a longer lifetime. Furthermore, laser-based drying is a significantly more efficient means of coating water-based electrodes. Using a demonstrator, Fraunhofer ILT will present its forward-looking laser technologies for battery cell production at the Fraunhofer booth (Hall 16, Booth A12) at the Hannover Messe 2023.

On April 26 and 27, 2023, users from the fields of laser technology, optics and laser development, as well as mechanical and plant engineering will meet in Aachen for the "7th UKP Workshop – Ultrafast Laser Technology." In addition to presenting the latest developments in ultrafast laser technology, the workshop will cover several core topics: contributions to future markets and applications from microelectronics, battery and hydrogen technology. In order to serve these topics accordingly, the UKP workshop will open its doors – for the first time – to international speakers with relevant industry knowledge to report on their experience.

After three long years of meeting online, the industry finally convened live at the 5th Laser Symposium Electromobility LSE at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen. Around 50 interested parties accepted the invitation to hear speakers from research and industry report on progress, trends and ideas to further advance electromobilization. Highlights included a presentation by a Finnish snowmobile manufacturer, a 32-beam 100 kilowatt laser from Israel and insight from an Austrian AI expert.

Weather reports, climate models or rocket launches – they all need precise data from the atmosphere. To acquire such data, scientists can use LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) systems to shoot laser beams into the sky. The backscattered light can be used to calculate wind and temperature data at altitudes of up to 100 km. A team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT and the Leibniz Institute for Atmospheric Physics IAP has developed a portable LIDAR system that works autonomously. In the future, such systems could be mass-produced and combined into networks to provide high quality climate data.