New freedoms are opening up in laser material processing: with a liquid crystal modulator, the beam profile of a laser can be freely programmed with high temporal resolution. The beam can also be split into identical copies. Together with inline process monitoring and intelligent control, zero-defect production is possible.
Details are being researched in the EU project Metamorpha. The module is being tested in three applications together with major industrial partners. The minimum target is to achieve energy savings of 30% compared to conventional processes.
In the EU project "Metamorpha - Made-to-measure micromachining with laser beams tailored in amplitude and phase", two USP lasers are interconnected in an optical module. The module can form a beam profile individually or as a multi-beam and is compatible with various processing systems, for example 3-axis machines, 5-axis machines, lathes or roll-to-roll machines.
