Category: Fiber Laser Technology

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.

Importance of fiber laser technology in Industry 4.0

Science has always aimed to develop more efficient fiber laser technology for manufacturing. This technology is a crucial element of the new industrial revolution, Industry 4.0. One key aspect is ultrafast fiber lasers, which allow processes to be performed at high speeds. 3D printing is one field where ultrafast fiber lasers can be effectively applied.

Optimizing 3D-printed components with fiber lasers

German scientists are demonstrating how 3D-printed components can be welded with a fiber laser. Their goal is to create an expert system to optimize additive manufacturing processes. The printed units can subsequently be welded using a fiber laser.

Challenges in fiber laser transmission welding

Fiber laser transmission welding is already recognized as an industrial joining process for plastic components. However, 3D-printed components present a challenge due to cavities and boundary layers that prevent uniform weld creation. Components may appear identical externally but have different internal structures. Researchers aim to design a fiber laser system with unified process knowledge, eliminating the need for detailed analysis of each component for welding.

Studying fused deposition modeling

For fiber laser welding, researchers are studying fused deposition modeling, where thin strands of molten plastic are layered sequentially. The developing fiber laser system will provide data on the material, layer thickness, and other factors, ensuring maximum laser beam permeability.

Measuring transmission for process control

The research team is developing a method to measure transmission with spatial resolution, identifying points where the laser beam passes through and other critical factors. This information will be used to control the fiber laser welding process. The system can adjust fiber laser power: increasing it where transmission is low and decreasing it where transmission is high.

Welding different thermoplastics with fiber lasers

Fiber laser transmission welding can join units made from different thermoplastics. For example, a transparent and a non-transparent plastic component can be welded together. The laser passes through the transparent part and is absorbed by the non-transparent part, converting light into thermal energy. This melts the plastic in the joining area, forming a weld seam.

The newly developed fiber laser design simplifies the optimization of manufacturing processes for enterprises.

Applications and advantages of high-power ultrafast lasers

High-power ultrafast lasers have diverse applications due to their short pulse durations and high peak powers.

Fields of application

Ultrafast lasers are used in materials processing, medical fiber lasers, microscopy, and more. These fiber lasers offer high power, but the technology is sensitive to effects like thermal lensing.

Thermal lensing in ultrafast lasers

Thermal lensing occurs in ultrafast laser gain media, especially at higher power levels. It significantly limits beam quality and output power.

Effects of thermal lensing

Thermal lensing reduces ultrafast laser performance and can disrupt mode-locking and pulse generation. In high-power systems, it can cause system failure and introduces astigmatism in the laser cavity.

Impact on laser operation

Ultrafast lasers operate in continuous-wave (CW) mode for cavity alignment, then switch to pulsed mode for use. Thermal lensing can interfere with this operation.

Methods to minimize thermal lensing

If pulsed beams are affected, ultrafast lasers become ineffective. However, several strategies can manipulate the thermal properties of gain media to prevent thermal lensing.

Dispersive mirror coatings

One approach is using proper dispersive mirror coatings. Highly dispersive intracavity mirrors help minimize thermal lensing effects.

Advantages of thermal lensing-limiting technology

These advancements allow the production of high-power ultrafast lasers with intracavity optics that minimize thermal effects. The technology stabilizes beam quality and pulse compression while reducing harmful thermal effects.

Development of ultrafast mirrors

Highly dispersive ultrafast mirrors have been developed to maintain reflectivity and pulse compression while minimizing thermal effects, achieved through precise coating techniques.

Applicability to different laser systems

Some ultrafast laser systems do not need this technology, as thermal lensing is not significant in low-average-power lasers or systems without a solid-state cavity. However, high-power solid-state ultrafast lasers benefit greatly from thermal-lensing reduction.

Fiber lasers in modern industry

High-powered fiber lasers have a wide range of applications across industries. As new uses emerge, more manufacturers recognize industrial fiber laser systems as reliable and cost-effective.

Like other industrial tools, fiber laser technology has advanced significantly over the past decades. However, some myths about their operation and maintenance still exist. Here are the most common ones.

Common myths in fiber laser maintenance

Myth 1: Fiber lasers don’t require much monitoring

The first myth is that fiber lasers require little monitoring. CO2 lasers were originally used as industrial tools due to low operating costs and simple maintenance. Fiber lasers changed the industry by offering improved beam quality and lower maintenance. Despite this, fiber laser modules still contain physical components that can fail over time, especially in harsh industrial environments. Periodic maintenance is therefore necessary to maintain efficiency and control operational costs.

Myth 2: Increasing power fixes performance issues

Another myth is that raising the power solves performance issues. Performance loss usually stems from factors such as thermal effects caused by aged, damaged, or contaminated optics, reducing power density. Modern fiber laser measurement tools help diagnose and optimize these systems.

Myth 3: Measurements are not costly or slow

A third myth is that measurements are costly and slow. Advances in optical components and computing have made fiber laser measurement tools smaller, faster, and more affordable. They can now be embedded in other systems, and fiber lasers are easier to operate in harsh production environments.

Myth 4: Performance management requires proper measurement

Another myth is that performance can be managed without measurement. Without key performance data, operators risk inconsistencies and scrapped parts. Regular measurements ensure consistent performance, lower power consumption, and higher profitability.

Myth 5: Modern measurements outperform old technologies

The fifth myth is that old measurement technologies are sufficient. Relying on outdated tools limits data collection. Modern fiber laser measurement products provide more detailed performance analysis for short or long-term use.

In conclusion, collecting more performance data improves industrial processes.

History and Applications of Fiber Lasers

The first fiber laser was demonstrated over 50 years ago by E. Snitzer in a Neodymium doped fiber. Today, fiber lasers find many applications in different spheres f.e medical diagnostics, laser material processing, imaging, metrology, and scientific research. It is interesting to note how many advantages have fiber optics laser technology.

Advantages of Fiber Laser Technology

The fiber laser is the highest efficiency and power laser that can be used in different spheres. Fiber lasers are compact and rugged, don’t go out of alignment, and easily spend thermal energy.

Structure of Fiber Lasers

The fiber laser’s waveguides are unique. The inner active core is doped with a rare earth – like ytterbium, erbium, thulium and defines oscillation wavelength. It is surrounded by Fiber Bragg Gratings, which confines the pump light and couples it into the active core.

High Beam Quality and Precision

Ultra-short pulse lasers can shape very precise microstructures and fabricate novel laser sources for industry. Fiber lasers support high beam quality at all the entire power range. In most common laser solutions, the beam quality is sensitive to output power. In fiber lasers, the output beam is virtually non-divergent over a wide power range. So, the beam can be concentrated to achieve high levels of precision, increased power densities and longer distances over which processing can be accomplished.

Efficiency and Design Benefits

Usage of a fiber as a laser active medium allows prolonging interaction distance, which works well for diode-pumping. This geometry leads to high photon conversion efficiency, as well as a rugged and compact design. When novel fiber sources are joined together, there are no discrete optics to adjust or to get out of alignment.

Adaptability and Variations of Fiber Lasers

The highest efficiency laser is highly adaptable. It can be adjusted to do anything from welding heavy sheets of metal to producing femtosecond pulses. Many variations exist on the fiber-laser theme. Fiber amplifiers provide single-pass amplification; they’re used in telecommunications because they can intensify many wavelengths in the meantime. Another example is fiber-amplified spontaneous-emission sources, in which the induced emission is suppressed. The Raman fiber laser is the another pattern, which is based on Raman gain that essentially Raman-shifts the wavelength. This is an application that’s not be practiced on a wide scale, but it certainly finds an application in research.
The market for the highest efficiency lasers is rapidly increased. Also seeing the substitution of non-fiber lasers with fiber lasers. The area of application fiber lasers now is an integral part of many photonic applications including biomedicine, material processing, astronomy and fundamental research. Nowadays, continuous wave fiber lasers with output powers above 1 kW become available. Fiber laser development still continues to be an active research field.

Development Challenges of Microlasers

Ring microlasers are potential light sources for photonic applications, but several challenges remain. For example, connecting multiple fiber lasers into a set may produce unwanted additional modes. Modern fiber laser technology enables the creation of chip-sized single-mode lasers.

Developing a single-mode chip-sized laser requires making fiber lasers stronger, smaller, and more stable. A research team from the USA recently designed two-dimensional arrays of microlasers with single-mode stability, achieving higher power density than previously reported.

Coherence and Stability Requirements

The fiber lasers must be coherent and stable to preserve data processed by photonic devices. Single-mode lasers provide optimal coherence, but their combined output is weaker than that of multimode lasers. To produce high-power multimode output, multiple single-mode lasers must be combined; however, mode competition reduces the coherence of the fiber laser array.

Supersymmetry in Fiber Laser Arrays

Achieving single-mode operation is critical because the brightness of a fiber laser array increases with the number of lasers when they operate synchronously in a single supermode. Researchers concluded that single-mode operation can be realized by introducing a “superpartner” based on the concept of supersymmetry.

Two-Dimensional Microlaser Arrays

According to the research team, previous studies using the superpartner fiber laser array principle were limited to one dimension. The current system demonstrates a two-dimensional array with five rows and five columns of microlasers. The team predicts that higher power scaling can be achieved using the same principle for larger arrays.

Applications of Single-Mode Lasers

This approach can also be applied to vortex lasers, which allow precise control of the laser beam and its spiral motion. Controlling laser beams in this way may enable encoding fiber laser systems at higher densities.

Single-mode lasers have a wide range of applications, from optical sensing to optical communications. This research contributes to the development of more efficient laser modules.