RESEARCH

Thesis 1

High Power Lasers: Trasforming Industrial Applications​​

Trasforming Industrial Application

With a unique combination of unparalleled precision & speed with versatility, high-power lasers are essential tools in automotive, aerospace, medical, electronics, and industrial manufacturing.

They allow reducing material waste and energy consumption compared to conventional methods, minimizing at the same time harmful byproducts, enabling cleaner, eco-friendly manufacturing processes.

This field is currently dominated by Yb-doped fiber lasers, but the rise of high-power blue diode lasers has the potential to drive a revolutionary shift – much like fiber lasers did years ago. Why blue lasers? They are a game-changer in laser-matter interaction because their shorter wavelength significantly enhances absorption across a wide range of materials, unlocking new possibilities for challenging materials, like copper, aluminum, and advanced polymers, where traditional NIR lasers struggle to deliver high-quality results.

However, fiber lasers remain at the forefront of innovation, far from becoming obsolete. Research is continuously advancing, expanding their capabilities toward high-power and longer and visible wavelengths.

Our research in the field:

  • High-beam quality high power fiber lasers, defying the limits posed by nonlinear phenomena.
  • Fiber laser sources at “new” wavelengths, such as in the longer NIR (1.8–2 μm) and visible (e.g., yellow) wavelengths, for advanced material processing and medical applications.
  • High-brightness high-power blue laser diode sources for disruptive materials processing.
  • Hybrid VIS/NIR laser processing heads with dynamically reconfigurable beam shaping for versatile manufacturing.

High-power lasers are not just tools – they are the backbone of modern industrial innovation.

Key technologies & expertise areas:

  • Photonics: beam generation, amplification, and delivery, ensuring precise control over wavelength and power output.
  • Mechanics: robust laser structures, thermal management systems, and precision beam delivery mechanisms to guarantee stability, durability, and optimal performance in demanding environments.
  • Electronics: fail-safe systems to control and manage high-power lasers, integrating real-time feedback systems to optimize efficiency, reliability, and adaptability in various manufacturing processes.
  • Artificial Intelligence: enhancement of laser processing by enabling adaptive beam shaping, predictive maintenance, and automated process optimization.

Possible activities and roles within:

High-power fiber lasers

    • Laser Design & Development: design and testing of innovative fiber laser architectures, operating either in CW or pulsed mode at around 1 μm or 2.0 μm.
    • Optical Component Engineering: development of high-power fiber Bragg gratings for the laser cavities in silica and soft-glass fibers.
    • Industrial Integration & Technology Transfer: optimization of laser prototypes for scalability, robustness, and reliability, facilitating technology transfer from research to industrial applications.

Smart & safe laser testing system for stress and durability tests

    • Instrumentation & Sensor Integration: integration of instruments (power meters, focus monitors, temperature & photodiode sensors) for real-time laser performance monitoring.
    • Control Systems & Automation: real-time data processing and autonomous regulation of laser parameters, chiller, fans, and diode drivers, with built-in remote operation safety protocols.
    • Network & User Interface Development: local and remote access for enhanced operational flexibility.

Designing the future of high-power laser optics

    • Optical Design: new optical chains to ensure efficiency, reliability, and superior beam management through advanced modeling and optimization techniques.
    • Optical Component Development: study of precision spherical/aspherical lenses and adaptive optical subassemblies for high-power laser applications, including tolerance analysis to ensure robustness against manufacturing and assembly variations.
    • Testing & Validation: experimental testing to validate the designs.

Smart control system for laser management

    • Control Systems: advanced laser control system with a user-friendly GUI for seamless management of multiple laser sources via TCP/IP protocol.
    • Software & Network Engineering: efficient client-server communication, ensuring  fast, reliable, and synchronized data exchange between the user and laser modules.
    • UI/UX Design: create a user-centric interface with a focus on intuitive usability, responsiveness, and scalability.
    • Cybersecurity & Systems: ensure secure & reliable operation by integrating communication protocols to safeguard data integrity and prevent unauthorized access

Record brightness blue laser source

    • Laser Design & Development: design and testing of multiplexing techniques to achieve power scalability.
    • Optical Component Engineering: develop robust beam-shaping optics to ensure uniform energy distribution.
    • Thermal & Mechanical Management: design effective cooling solutions and develop vibration-resistant mechanical housing.
    • Industrial Integration & Technology Transfer: ensure compliance with industrial safety and regulatory standards,  conduct extensive stress testing under real industrial conditions to validate performance, longevity, and reliability.