Which customers ask you for micro laser cutting?
The vast majority of our customers are looking for exceptional cutting quality – visible under a microscope – and extremely precise dimensions. We produce a wide range of components for watch movements, optical applications (test patterns, crosshairs, holes, grids, shaped lines, etc.), and medical and aerospace applications that are strictly burr-free…
Many of our customers seek to cut unusual materials such as new-generation ceramics, single-crystal materials, amorphous metals or metals that feature on the periodic table but are little known.
What laser technology do you use?
We use waterjet-guided laser technology from Synova.
The high-pressure waterjet acts as a vertical optical fibre to guide the laser beam.
The pulse durations are extremely short, similar to a ‘Femto’ laser.
Our technology therefore enables us to achieve a strictly vertical cut, without any heating and with absolutely no burrs.
Very few companies in France own a Synova machine, and those that do use it for their own applications; we, on the other hand, own three, and all our equipment is at least duplicated, meaning that in the event of a breakdown, production can be switched from one machine to another. These machines are extremely delicate in terms of maintenance, and the production reliability we offer our customers is a real asset.
What machinery do you have?
We have three machines using this technology.
Two machines with two laser sources:
A 50-watt source
A high-precision source of approximately 20 watts with ultra-short pulses
A third machine with a single 100-watt laser source.
Do you carry out micro-drilling in batches or on a piece-by-piece basis?
We can carry out single-piece drilling jobs, but we have previously produced batches of up to 16,000 pieces per month.
What are the capacities of your machines?
Our machines provide a cold cut, which enables us to cut long, thin parts without causing any distortion.
Our process allows for a perfectly vertical cut, making it possible to machine ‘cylindrical’ holes with a tolerance of just a few microns.
The table on our machines has a capacity of 250 mm × 250 mm, which allows for a high degree of autonomy when cutting micro-components.
Our laser cuts with ‘Femto’-grade quality but at a much higher ablation rate. Cutting thicknesses range from 5 µm (if you blow on a 5 µm-thick piece, it flies away!) to 12 mm.
What materials can you cut?
We are able to cut all metals (copper, gold, silver, aluminium, steel, molybdenum, etc.) with absolutely no burrs and an extremely fine surface finish (Ra of 0.2 using a fine beam).
We can also cut graphite, diamond, tungsten carbide and certain ceramics such as SiC, silicon nitride, boron carbide, B4C, monocrystalline silicon carbide, etc.
We also cut unusual materials such as hafnium, ruthenium and osmium.
Single-crystal materials such as diamond, silicon and certain types of SiC can be cut without any chipping (no flaking).
What are your limitations when it comes to laser micro-cutting?
Our standard spot size (laser beam diameter) is 34 microns.
For fine laser sources and fine surface finishes, we are able to cut materials up to a maximum thickness of 0.25.
With high-power laser sources and an Ra of 0.4, we are able to cut materials up to a thickness of 12 mm.
