Micromachining with femtosecond lasers (also known as ultrafast lasers) is gaining popularity because of several advantageous properties, including the nearly athermal, or "cold," ablation process. For industries demanding smaller and more precise parts, this technology offers higher yields, tighter tolerances, little to no collateral damage, and no post-processing.
While femtosecond lasers have begun gaining significant attention in recent years, they were originally showcased 20 years ago at the LASER World of PHOTONICS trade fair in Munich, Germany by Clark-MXR, a company founded in 1992 in Dexter, MI. With the help of few other collaborators, the company presented the first live demonstration of industrial femtosecond laser micromachining during an exposition or conference.
The image depicts a glass slide machined with femtosecond laser pulses from the company's CPA-Series laser. These proof-of-principle parts were machined in real time during the show in Munich and given to attendees for them to take home.
Since this pioneering feat, the company has remained a key player in femtosecond laser micromachining, continuing to develop innovative processes and equipment as well as providing femtosecond laser-based micromachining services to numerous industries.
The company will celebrate this success and the 20th anniversary of commercial femtosecond laser-based micromachining at the 2017 LASER World of PHOTONICS trade fair, to be held June 26-29, 2017, in Munich.