High-Productivity Hybrid Polygon Scanner Technology for USP Laser

USP lasers are ideal for high-precision microprocessing of components. Cold ablation enables exceptionally fine and targeted material removal. But to achieve industry-suitable productivity, the USP laser must team up with an ultra-swift scanner capable of positioning the individual laser pulses onto a workpiece without pulse overlaps, even at highest pulse rates. In principle, the high speed of polygon scanners makes them well-suited for separating such high-frequency pulses. But pure polygon scanners have limitations in accuracy and flexibility and have been difficult to integrate into USP processing systems so far.

SCANLAB eliminated these drawbacks by developing a hybrid polygon scanner system combining the dynamic superiority of polygon scanners with the high precision of galvanometers. "Our many years of galvo expertise led to the idea of combining the systems. Two galvanometer scan axes now correct typical deviations and imperfections in polygon wheel symmetry to achieve the flexibility necessary for pixel-accurate processing," explains SCANLAB CEO Georg Hofner. "A large working distance, the straight-forward integration of the mechanical feed axis and incredibly short process times predestine this system for industrial applications."

This new technology is also suited for mobile devices, the electronics industry and the processing of composites. Hence, system development was supported by Germany''s Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy. Test systems are now available from SCANLAB.