Hamburg/Munich, Germany - Whether carbon dioxide (CO2), solid-state, fiber or diode lasers, from ultra-short pulse to continuous wave (CW) operations, Rofin's product portfolio ranges from laser beam sources to compact all-in-one system solutions. These lasers are used for production in many industries: automotive, aircraft construction, machine tools, manufacturing of electronics and semiconductors, medical-device technology, photovoltaics (PV), packaging and plastics processing, in tool- and mould-making, as well as in jewellery design. Rofin's lasers were showcased at Laser World of Photonics 2013 last week in Munich.
**This article discusses newly released Rofin products that have NOT already been on the Industrial Laser Solutions for Manufacturing web site. Earler article: Ultrashort pulse lasers and other systems **
New generation of fiber lasers: Smaller, more compact and easier to use best describes the new performance and design enhancements. The 2 kW fiber laser, which can be equipped with up to four fiber outputs, comes in a smaller, wall-mountable housing, with improved fiber handling and reduced water requirement. Like its predecessors, the new Rofin FL 020 is equipped with the Rofin Control Unit (RCU), which offers numerous monitoring tasks, E-service capability and simple implementation of scanner-based applications.
Easy integration fiber lasers: The Rofin Macro Group presented powerful fiber lasers from the compact class, the Rofin FL 030 C, which has been specially developed for direct integration into existing machine concepts. With an output power of 3000 watts (W), the FL 030 C is available as a multi-mode laser with a 50 or 100 micron fiber. With beam qualities in the range of 2 mm to 4mm × mrad and its modular and robust design, the Rofin FL 030 C is a suitable tool for laser-cutting and laser-welding applications.
More powerful fiber laser units: For the first time, Rofin presents the next generation of fiber laser modules at Laser 2013 show and gives a first preview of future products with the example of a 6 kW laser. Fiber lasers use so-called "large mode area double clad" fibers as an active medium. These consist of an active single-mode core and a cladding with large diameter, in which the pump beam is conducted. The pump light from pluggable pump modules is fed to the cladding from both sides by means of pump couplers. The resonator mirrors are formed by integrated Fiber Bragg Gratings.
CO2 Slab Laser: With a new control and user interface, as well as a new control cabinet, Rofin presents its CO2 Slab Laser. Including the RCU for the Slab Series means that all products across the Macro product range have the same control platform and a comparable interface. Extended monitoring and control functions are now included on the new CO2 Slab Laser control, resulting in improved pulse-to-pulse stability, manifold control and log functions including E-Service. The lasers from the Rofin DC Series are available as a compact integration package or as a head/cabinet combination.
Sealed-off CO2 Laser with innovative power supply: The "sealed-off" lasers are suitable tools for light industrial applications. Building on the success of the range of sealed CO2 laser sources, Rofin presents the new SR 10i. The SR 10i retains features such as beam quality, high-speed operation, ease of integration and virtually no maintenance but the SR 10i is being supplied with an innovative radio-frequency (RF) power supply. With its output power of 100W and a beam quality of K more than 0.8, the sealed-off CO2 laser, based on the Slab principle, is suitable for processing a wide range of materials.
StarPico picosecond laser: The StarPico was designed for industrial materials processing. The patented resonator design with its robust set-up allows a pulse duration of 12 ps, a pulse energy of 100 microJoules and an adjustable pulse repetition rate of up to 20 MHz. This picosecond laser allows "cold" material processing of hard and brittle material and is particularly suitable for applications in the electronics, semiconductor, precision engineering, micro and medical device industry. The StarPico can be provided as a complete package for high-precision cutting, structuring, ablating, marking and drilling.
MPS 3D: The turnkey solution Modular Processing System 3D (MPS 3D) designed for complex 2.5D and 3D materials processing integrates axis modules and control units into one compact housing. A multi-functional laser workstation, it was designed for a wide range of automated materials processing tasks requiring a 4-axis or 5-axis system. The MPS 3D is a suitable solution for 3D laser cutting, welding, drilling and structuring with up to five interpolated axes. Programming is made easy and efficient with CAD-CAM software. The granite bridge allows the integration of direct beam sources.
StarLite X: The StarLite X laser system complements the well-established StarShape family. Compact, user-friendly and modular, it is a suitable laser solution for integration into systems for cost-effective materials processing whether laser cutting, structuring, scribing or perforating. It is equipped with the latest sealed-off CO2 laser technology made by Rofin and is provided with a 100 W or 200 W CO2 laser.
Lasag LFS 150 OEM with Triple FLBK FC: The LFS 150 OEM is a newly enhanced version of the LFS 150, mounted in a 19-inch rack. Industrial demand for integrated laser systems is the reason for the development of this new product. Together with the new Triple FLBK FC, the triple version of the FLBK 60 opens up new applications in materials processing. Energy sharing allows three identical products to be processed in one step. Rofin-Lasag can now offer a highly productive system in combination with the LFS 150 OEM, which can be integrated into existing production lines.
The LLDROP from Lasag: The solution for welding two concentrically positioned work pieces was developed by Rofin-Lasag, a small laser company located in Switzerland. The LLDROP rotating optics system from Rofin-Lasag is a tailor-made beam guidance system for laser welding. The rotating processing head is suitable for spot, seam and segment welding of circular seams, even in mass production. Work pieces are fixed and guided to the processing spot where welding occurs with a rotation speed between 5 and 300 revolutions per minute, removing the need to mount a rotary axis.
800 Picosecond: The air-cooled PowerLine Pico completes Rofin's ultra-short pulse laser line-up (along with StarFemto and StarPico). The laser is available in two configurations: as an all-purpose laser source and as a laser marking solution. With a pulse length of 800 ps and a top pulse energy of 40 microJoule, the PowerLine Pico is an efficient tool for marking, engraving and thin-film ablation and structuring. The pulse frequency of 200 kHz to 800 kHz offers high throughput and pulse overlapping, such as structuring thin films in solar cell manufacturing with more than 95% pulse overlap.
PowerLine E Air 10 THG: Rofin expands its PowerLine E Air product series with a 355 nm laser source. The ultraviolet (UV) laser marker PowerLine E Air 10 THG has plastics marking as its main focus and qualifies for classical laser-marking applications and micro-materials processing. It is compact and air-cooled. This laser offers pulse-to-pulse stability and beam quality at pulse frequencies from 20 kHz to 100 kHz. These are prerequisites for high processing speed and short cycle times required by industrial manufacturing. As with all PowerLine E Air lasers, marking field size and focus diameter can be adjusted.