Press

The now firmly established “UKP Workshop“ brings together leading experts in ultrashort pulse laser technology every two years. On April 8 and 9, 2025, the 8th UKP Workshop will take place in Aachen, where specialists will present the latest developments in the field of ultrashort pulse laser technology. Around 20 international speakers will give presentations on practical applications and processes with USP lasers. This time, the focus will be on innovative beam shaping solutions specially optimized for different processes. These solutions open up new possibilities for laser-assisted processing in industries such as electronics, energy storage, glass processing and microelectronics.

Bipolar plates for fuel cells are mass produced every second. The forming tools used to manufacture them are milled from high-quality metal alloys that provide them with high wear resistance. In the National Action Plan for Fuel Cell Production (H2GO), the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen is breaking new ground: Instead of milling the tools from an expensive solid block, the institute is using extreme high-speed laser material deposition (EHLA) to apply wear-resistant functional layers to low-cost structural steel close to the final contour. This reduces costs, construction time and tool wear. The EHLA process can also be used to repair damaged and worn tools, thus making a significant contribution to the circular economy.

A new approach to beam shaping will soon make additive manufacturing more flexible and efficient: Fraunhofer ILT has developed a new platform that can be used to individually optimize laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processes. Customized beam profiles improve component quality, reduce material losses and enable previously impossible scaling of the build-up rate of the single beam process. Fraunhofer ILT will be presenting the test system, which is currently under construction, at Formnext in Frankfurt am Main from November 19 to 22.

High-power laser diodes are a key component for fusion power plants of the future. The joint project DioHELIOS sets out to boost their power and efficiency to a new level and to develop approaches for their automated mass production. This is because diode laser modules are required in large quantities for climate-neutral energy generation through laser-based inertial confinement fusion. Several companies and institutes are working together in the BMBF-funded project: ams-OSRAM, the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH), the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Jenoptik, Laserline and TRUMPF.