Laser Drilling

Overview

Our range of services

Laser radiation can be used to produce holes with diameters ranging from less than one micrometer to several millimeters while achieving large drilling depths simultaneously. Fraunhofer ILT develops and improves various drilling processes for industrial use. Areas of application are diverse and include aerospace, toolmaking and tool technology, the automotive industry, electronics and display technology, as well as medical and energy technology.

Drilling with laser radiation is used as a manufacturing technology for complex geometries and materials. With helical drilling and ultra-short pulsed lasers hole diameters in the range of a few 10 μm at drilling depths of up to 2 mm cam be produced. Large hole diameters above 100 µm can be produced with QCW lasers using (5-axis) trepanning. This also enables the creation of three-dimensional shaped holes. Novel laser drilling processes with drilling rates of up to 12,000 holes/s are also available for applications in filter and sieve technology or coating masks. For the structuring of dielectric materials such as glass, sapphire and other difficult-to-machine materials, combined processes are used in which structures with nanometer precision, even in volume, can be produced via material modification and subsequent etching steps.

Fraunhofer ILT develops manufacturing processes and production systems that are customized to the respective tasks. The range of services includes market-oriented R&D services in the field of laser beam drilling, market and feasibility studies, support in the areas of design and simulation and comprehensive consulting.

 Fused silica with a slit, made by processing with inverse laser drilling; thickness: 6.35 mm, angle of the undercut: approx. 10°.
© Fraunhofer ILT, Aachen, Germany.
Fused silica with a slit, made by processing with inverse laser drilling; thickness: 6.35 mm, angle of the undercut: approx. 10°.
© Fraunhofer ILT, Aachen, Germany.
Formed hole in a CFRP preform for functional elements.
Laser-drilled coupling element.
© Fraunhofer ILT, Aachen, Germany.
Laser-drilled coupling element.

Process development

  • Single pulse drilling (especially on-the-fly)
  • Percussion drilling
  • (5-axis) trepanning
  • Helical drilling
  • Ultra-short pulse laser drilling
  • Water jet guided laser drilling (Laser Micro Jet)

Materials

  • Single crystals, directionally solidified materials, metals, multilayer systems, ceramics, metallic foams, plastics, silicon
  • Intermetallic alloys, fiber reinforced composites such as CFRP, CMCs and MMCs

Applications

  • Cooling air holes, vent holes, lubricant holes, filter holes, measuring holes
  • Turbine components (turbine blades, guide vanes, combustion chambers), filters, vias, injectors, atomizers, tooling, tool making

Equipment

  • QCW single- and multimode fiber lasers up to 20 kW pulse peak power
  • USP beam sources with average power up to 400 W
  • Various pico- and nanosecond pulsed beam sources with wavelengths from 266 to 1064 nm
  • 200 ns beam source with 100 W power for the Laser Micro Jet

Markets

Laser technology can solve demanding tasks in many different industries. Whether as a tool in automotive production, as measuring equipment in the environmental sector, as a diagnostic or therapeutic instrument in medical technology or as a communication medium in space technology, the laser provides multiple uses with high productivity and high efficiency.

Read up about the innovations of the Fraunhofer ILT in a few selected industries and convince yourself!

 

Research with us!

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about general topics! Our contact persons are happy to get in touch with you.