Day: September 16, 2025

Laser modules in the financial card markets

New generation of laser modules

A new generation of laser modules has been developed for secure identity, payments, and data protection. These modules allow customers to implement advanced laser technology in both financial payment cards and government ID cards. Fiber laser technology is rapidly gaining popularity across financial and government card markets. This growth is driven by rising demands for stronger security and greater personalization. The design team combined years of experience with modern advancements in fiber laser technology, achieving more precise image quality and detailed engraving.

Role in security and image quality

Fiber laser technology plays a key role in meeting strict security and image quality requirements, as counterfeiters become increasingly sophisticated. Its precision makes fiber lasers an essential part of any security strategy, ensuring accuracy and durability in engraving.

Government applications

Modern fiber laser systems are widely used in government applications. They deliver sharp edges and clear images, support high-quality photos, text, barcodes, and various additional security features. These modules meet the security standards of most government agencies worldwide.

Flat and metal cards have led the financial card market to adopt new fiber laser technologies for durable graphics and engraving. The latest modules enhance personalization with modern fiber laser engraving systems. They feature a user-friendly interface that allows full customization and can engrave barcodes, text, and bitmap images on various materials.

Additional security features and technology

Fiber laser modules can also include advanced security features. They offer easy setup and control, multimodal laser integration, and built-in vision registration cameras. The camera aligns engraved and pre-printed elements precisely. Some modules include air-cooled fiber lasers — compact units that require no external cooling while maintaining strong performance.

Modern fiber laser designs have significantly improved in efficiency and versatility. These systems deliver reliable, energy-efficient performance, making them suitable for a wide range of applications and environments, even with limited budgets.

The development of new ultrafast fiber laser systems

Applications of ultrafast fiber lasers

The development of ultrafast fiber laser systems over the past century has enabled a wide range of applications. Fiber laser technology is used in medical and industrial fields, from cancer diagnosis to 3D nanoprinting. Compact fiber laser modules are now making many tasks in everyday life easier.

Impact on everyday life

Advances in ultrafast fiber lasers have driven significant technical innovation. Scientists have improved the quality, lifetime, and cost of key components such as beam combiners, Bragg fiber filters, modulators, and detectors. Today, doped fibers for multimode pumping are commercially available, allowing single-mode output at higher powers. This technology supports high-power fiber laser systems used in industrial manufacturing.

Design and advantages of ultrafast fiber lasers

Ultrafast fiber lasers are now compact, often appearing as small black boxes. Manufacturers can easily integrate them into diverse devices. Their small size, rugged construction, and high reliability make them suitable for both industrial and medical applications. They also offer excellent stability.

Compactness and scalability

Fiber laser designs provide high gain while remaining compact. Even low-power ultrafast fiber lasers can serve as building blocks for higher-power systems and deliver output across multiple wavelengths.

Advances in two-photon microscopy

A recent German development applies ultrafast fiber lasers in two-photon microscopy using near-IR femtosecond pulses. This allows high-resolution imaging of human skin, known as multiphoton tomography. Earlier laser systems required water cooling, complex delivery arms, and were costly and bulky. Ultrafast fiber lasers simplify the operation, eliminating water cooling and allowing easy movement around a dermatology suite.

Technical challenges

The small diameter of the fiber core presents challenges in generating ultrafast optical pulses. Pulse energies must be carefully managed, balancing chromatic dispersion and nonlinear effects. A reliable starting mechanism is also essential for consistent performance.

Fiber laser technology in battery manufacturing

Growth of the battery manufacturing market

According to researchers, battery manufacturing has become a rapidly growing market, mainly driven by increased demand from the electric vehicle (EV) industry. Fiber laser manufacturers anticipate strong growth in integrating fiber laser technology into battery welding equipment, especially laser-based systems.

Fiber laser principles are applied in battery welding. While this is not a new application, its use surged with the growth of the EV industry.

Research and development in battery cell production

Researchers are currently developing efficient production centers for EV battery cells. They investigate how fiber laser technology can economically join dissimilar materials, improving the efficiency and reliability of battery manufacturing.

Projects on lithium-ion battery manufacturing

Several scientific projects explore fiber laser applications in battery production. One study focuses on optimizing lithium-ion battery manufacturing. Researchers designed a fiber laser system to join anodes (copper) and cathodes (aluminum) to contacts. Various fiber laser types were tested, and a turntable with multiple stations enabled a complete stack in just two seconds.

Efficient battery cell connections

Another project examines more efficient connections of battery cells. Scientists are developing processes for bonding copper, aluminum, and steel using nanosecond fiber lasers. These processes are challenging because thin electrical contacts are sensitive to heat. Low welding energy results in weak mechanical stability, while excessive energy can reduce battery lifespan. Striking the right balance is critical.

Experiments on different joint types

A third project tested copper-aluminum and copper-steel joints on pouch and cylindrical cells. The results showed joint quality comparable to continuous-wave (CW) welding, with lower energy consumption, high repeatability, and fewer intermetallic phases. The main drawback is longer processing time, highlighting areas for further improvement.

Fiber laser systems have broad applications, including battery manufacturing. They can combine CW and nanosecond pulsed fiber lasers, with separate control of the laser beam. Beyond joining, fiber lasers can also remove material to shape surfaces or create precise structures.

Fiber lasers application in the art world

Fiber lasers beyond science and industry

We all recognize the impact of fiber laser technology across various scientific fields. The precision of fiber laser beams has become essential in medicine, telecommunications, and more. Yet, few people are aware of their applications as artistic tools — and this isn’t about restoring old artworks through cleaning techniques.

Fiber lasers can cut intricate patterns in materials such as paper, wood, and metal. These patterns are highly resistant to harsh environments and chemical exposure. Researchers have leveraged these properties to develop a fiber laser system useful for artists and designers.

A research team in Russia recently created a fiber laser paintbrush. This tool enables designers to add, modify, or erase strokes on a titanium canvas with remarkable precision.

Creating colors with fiber lasers

Oxidation-based full-color palette

The device uses fiber laser-induced oxidation to produce a full spectrum of colors on stainless steel — no external pigments are required. The laser forms an oxide layer on the metal surface, with a specific thickness and chemical composition for each color. By carefully adjusting the laser parameters, researchers were able to control color development.

Erasing and rewriting colors

To modify or remove colors, the team designed a printer incorporating a nanosecond ytterbium fiber laser with a scanner to move the beam. Heating the titanium surface with the laser creates an oxide layer, generating colors. A second pass reduces brightness, and slight adjustments to intensity and scanning speed can fully erase the color.

The researchers demonstrated the system by creating several renowned art pieces. What would take traditional artists years to complete could be produced in just three minutes using the fiber laser system.

The team is working on a handheld version of the fiber laser system, allowing artists to use it more like a conventional pen or brush, increasing accessibility and creative freedom.

Main development challenges for multi kilowatt fiber lasers

Stimulated Raman scattering in multi-kilowatt fiber lasers

Definition and impact

According to scientists, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) remains a development challenge for multi-kilowatt fiber lasers. To advance fiber laser technology toward higher-power systems while maintaining high-quality beams, manufacturers need to adopt effective SRS mitigation strategies.

Nonlinear phenomenon

Stimulated Raman scattering is a nonlinear effect. It occurs when the optical intensity exceeds a threshold value. Since a portion of the energy in the fiber laser is lost to SRS, this effect limits the achievable output power.

Optical feedback challenges

Causes and effects

Optical feedback reflected from the workpiece can lead to serious problems, such as fiber laser instabilities or damage to pump diodes. Instabilities in output power or beam quality can affect industrial processes and reduce product quality. Maintaining reliable and stable operation is essential for industrial fiber laser applications.

Transverse mode instability

Description of the effect

Even with progress in SRS management, the output power of single-mode fiber lasers rarely exceeds a few kilowatts. Transverse mode instability (TMI) is another nonlinear effect that impacts multi-kilowatt system development. TMI occurs suddenly when the average power threshold is reached, causing beam quality degradation.

Suppression and trade-offs

TMI has been studied for a long time, allowing researchers to develop effective suppression methods. However, reducing TMI can interfere with SRS suppression. Therefore, it is important to find a balance while considering reliability and technological limits.

Ongoing development and solutions

Power optimization

Fiber lasers can operate beyond the SRS threshold using current mitigation approaches. A comprehensive solution does not yet exist, so ongoing research continues to improve understanding and performance at multi-kilowatt levels. Challenges remain to achieve reliable, highly efficient industrial fiber lasers.

Fiber laser technology in providing marking traceability

Importance of laser marking for traceability

Laser marking has become a key tool for ensuring transparency and accuracy within the production chain. Modern fiber laser systems make it possible to mark components even before heat treatment and keep the marks clearly readable afterward. This breakthrough has completely transformed how industries approach product traceability.

Definition of traceability

Traceability refers to the ability to follow each component or finished product throughout every stage of the supply chain. While most marking methods lose their clarity during processing, fiber laser engraving maintains sharp, legible identifiers even after exposure to extreme temperatures or surface changes.

Advantages of fiber laser marking

Unlike traditional marking technologies, fiber lasers generate deep, high-contrast engravings that remain consistent despite deformation or heating. When a material expands and contracts under temperature changes, typical identifiers can blur or fade — but laser marks stay precise and easy to read.

Customization and reliability of fiber laser identifiers

Fiber laser equipment supports full customization: from adjusting mark size and layout to encoding individual production data. This flexibility ensures reliable identification for various industries — from aerospace to automotive manufacturing — while meeting strict quality standards.

Fiber laser construction and requirements

A fiber laser operates through a specially treated optical fiber infused with rare-earth elements. These dopants help convert low electrical input into concentrated light output. For durable markings, lasers usually work at 50–100 watts. Stable environmental conditions also play a role: high IP protection prevents moisture and dust from interfering with performance, maintaining accuracy during long-term use.

Etching quality and information retention

Fiber laser etching creates finely detailed marks with well-defined spacing between engraved elements. Because of this precision, information remains intact even after heat treatment or wear, allowing each item to store identification data throughout its life cycle.

Efficiency in the supply chain

Fiber laser marking allows unique product identification without interrupting production flow. It integrates smoothly into automated lines and helps manufacturers maintain traceability standards across all stages of production.