GF Machining Solutions - Microlution -Femtosecond laser prototyping and volume production

1. Prototyping has long been a challenge for manufacturers of small, precision parts. Why? Because
when accuracy is measured in microns, it can be difficult to create a prototype that will be
manufacturable at scale. While 3D printing has made it possible to prototype everything from tiny
implantable medical devices to full-scale auto engines, creating a model with equipment and
processes that are not used in production manufacturing means that manufacturability may not
be possible with existing equipment, delaying time to market. In other words, rapid prototyping
doesn’t always lead to rapid product development.
FEMTOSECOND LASERS
FOR PROTOTYPING AND
VOLUME PRODUCTION
The Best of Both Worlds from
a Single Platform
Femtosecond laser
platforms accelerate
product developed
offering prototyping
and volume
manufacturing from the
same platform.

2. GF MICROLUTION, INC. 6635 W IRVING PARK RD. CHICAGO, IL 60634 TEL. 773-282-6495 FAX. 866-417-4459 www.microlution-inc.com
Laser Solution
Laser machining platforms have been used for prototyping for years due to the fact that set-up is
fast, and high levels of accuracy can be achieved. Furthermore, there is no physical tool or tool
wear to impact accuracy and repeatability.
Laser prototyping for micro-parts, however, has been more challenging because of significant heat
affected zone (HAZ)—thermal damage in the form of melting, burring or recast that become
burdensome for microscopic parts that require absolute precision.
Enter the ultrafast laser. Lasers with pulse widths in the femtosecond regime have been developed
that can machine without causing thermal damage. This means that prototypes of micro-parts can
be made which are virtually flawless. The images below show a coronary stent sample. The image
on the left shows stent struts as machined with a nanosecond laser, while the image on the right is
of a similar stent structure machined with a femtosecond laser.

3. GF MICROLUTION, INC. 6635 W IRVING PARK RD. CHICAGO, IL 60634 TEL. 773-282-6495 FAX. 866-417-4459 www.microlution-inc.com
Commercial Grade Femtosecond Lasers
Until recently femtosecond lasers have shared the limitations of 3D printers for prototyping.
Femtosecond lasers were fine for creating models in laboratory environments, but were not
robust enough for full-scale manufacturing, and so the question of the manufacturability of
prototypes remained.
This has changed in recent years with the advent of commercial-grade femtosecond lasers and
manufacturing platforms that offer the stability, part handling, and beam control to deliver
repeatable, precision material removal on micro-parts in a 24/7 manufacturing environment. This
means that the very same tool, equipment, and process used to create a prototype can also be
used to manufacture production parts at scale. The figures below show an early femtosecond laser
on the left and a CNC femtosecond laser micro manufacturing platform on the right.
The emergence of industrial femtosecond laser micro manufacturing platforms has enabled new
parts and new products to be designed and manufactured at an accelerated rate. Once a
prototype is finalized, the time to take the prototype to volume manufacturing is greatly reduced.
Examples of next-generation designs that have moved from prototypes to finished manufactured
parts using femtosecond lasers include, among many others, OLED panels, fuel injector nozzles,
and the aforementioned coronary stents.

4. GF MICROLUTION, INC. 6635 W IRVING PARK RD. CHICAGO, IL 60634 TEL. 773-282-6495 FAX. 866-417-4459 www.microlution-inc.com
Industrial Femtosecond Micro Machining Platform
In 2011, Microlution pioneered the world’s first industrial femtosecond micro machining platform.
Dubbed the ML-5, the platform features a 5-axis laser scan head, a precision ground natural
granite base, ironless linear motors, Heidenhain glass scales, palletized work-holding to deliver the
kind of precision required for machining at micro scales.
The ML-5 delivers true athermal micro machining accuracy within a single micron, and sub-micron
repeatability. The platform has been proven in automotive, medical device, semiconductor and
consumer product manufacturing.
Flexible High Volume Solution
One potential drawback of femtosecond lasers (and other lasers) for volume manufacturing has
been manufacturing speed. Compared to volume machining processes like punching, stamping,
embossing that allow multiple parts to be machined in parallel; laser machining has been a serial
process.
Another limitation of femtosecond technology is that it can typically remove small amounts of
material as it machines. Therefore machining larger features can be very slow.

5. GF MICROLUTION, INC. 6635 W IRVING PARK RD. CHICAGO, IL 60634 TEL. 773-282-6495 FAX. 866-417-4459 www.microlution-inc.com
To address these potential limitations Microlution developed the MLDS dual station micro
machining platform. The MLDS can be configured with parallel mechanical milling and
femtosecond laser stations, where a mechanical mill is used to rough out a larger feature and the
femtosecond laser is used to give the feature the surface and edge quality need to meet part
specifications.
Prototype to Production
With femtosecond laser platforms, it is now possible to use the same platform to machine
prototypes and production parts. This speeds product development time and delivers superior
precision, repeatability and cycle times for the production of parts for multiple industries. Both the
ML-5 and the MLDS can be combined with automation to enable true turnkey manufacturing.

6. GF MICROLUTION, INC. 6635 W IRVING PARK RD. CHICAGO, IL 60634 TEL. 773-282-6495 FAX. 866-417-4459 www.microlution-inc.com
ML-5 5-Axis Ultrafast Laser Key Features:
Up to 5 axes of motion
Precision ground natural granite base
High-acceleration linear motors
Heidenhain glass scale encoders
Granite-mounted ironless rails
Supports multiple laser types
Laser tool sensor
In-line workpiece touch probe
Confocal laser probe
Positional accuracy: +/- 1 µm
Repeatability: +/- 0.5 µm
X, Y, Z Motion
• X-Axis: Up to 12” (305mm)
• Y-Axis: Up to 13” (330mm)
• Z-Axis: Up to 12” (305mm)
Compact footprint (W x D x H):
• 91 x 41 x 82 in
• 2312 x 1050 x 2073 mm

7. GF MICROLUTION, INC. 6635 W IRVING PARK RD. CHICAGO, IL 60634 TEL. 773-282-6495 FAX. 866-417-4459 www.microlution-inc.com
MLDS Dual Station Micro Machine Key Features:
• Dual stations with up to 5 axes
• Mechanical, laser and hybrid options
• Precision ground natural granite base=
• High-acceleration linear motors
• Heidenhain glass scale encoders
• Granite-mounted ironless rails
• Athermal laser option
• High-speed mechanical spindle option
• In-line measurement capability
• Internal pick and place system
• Positional accuracy: +/- 1 µm
• Repeatability: +/- 0.5 µm
Compact footprint (W x D x H):
• 110 x 78 x 91 in
• 2800 x 1992 x 2300 mm