It’s a question of tolerances

Laser machining in micro technology

We can attribute the continuous developments in micro-machining technology to the continuous increase in demand for machined products that are both small and highly precise. Global competition demands accuracy in the manufacturing, but places ever higher demands on productivity and costs. To summarise: It’s as if industrial laser technology was created for machining processes in the micro range.

Microtechnology products can be found in practically every industrial sector: Medical components, electromechanical systems, micro-sensors for the automobile industry or for aerospace, motors or micro-products in the watchmaking and jewellery industries - the list could be extended indefinitely. The requirements for these goods are always the same: Precision, exactness and repetition accuracy.

They bear two inherent central challenges for micro-machining: The machining accuracy and the manufacturing costs.

One key to success in respect of “accuracy in micro laser machining" lies in the ability to focus the laser beam. If all process parameters are optimised and the machining accuracy is sufficient, very small components can be machined with low thermal influence. Due to the nature of the non-contact, quiet and clean laser beam, costs can be minimised whilst maintaining high positional accuracy.

These characteristics make the laser an optimum tool for micro-machining.