Defence & Aerospace

The use of 3D femtosecond laser printing in the defense and aerospace industries is a relatively new and emerging field that involves the use of 3D printing technology to create highly detailed and complex components and structures using femtosecond lasers. This technology is being used to create a wide range of components and structures, such as sensors, actuators, and structural components, for use in a variety of applications, including defense, aerospace, and space exploration. The use of femtosecond lasers allows for the creation of highly precise and intricate structures, which can improve the performance of defense and aerospace systems. Additionally, 3D femtosecond laser printing can be used to produce large quantities of components and structures quickly and efficiently, making it a valuable tool for defense and aerospace researchers and developers.

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Applications Processes Products Publications Related Examples

Manufacturing examples

3D Meso-Spring

3D laser lithography is a suitable technology for the production of high-precision micromechanical components, an example being the single-helix three-turn 3D meso-spring for micro-mechanical applications.

Holes in Hard Metal

Femtosecond laser micro-drilling stands out by its accuracy and minimum heat affected zone. The process is applicable to a wide variety of materials, including different metals, ceramics, polymers, and glass.

Hydrophobic Surface

A hydrophobic surface formed on a copper alloy sample using femtosecond laser texturing. The contact angle between this surface and a water drop is 150 degrees, which means that the surface has the potential for self-cleaning, anti-icing and other properties linked to hydrophobicity.

Hydrophilic Surface

Hydrophilic surface properties created through metal surface micro-texturing. A sponge like aluminum surface soaks up water and spreads it evenly across the surface.

3D Structures on Fiber Tip

The microlens with a diameter of 50 µm is fabricated on top of the fiber. The 3D supports ensure a required 250 µm distance between the fiber tip and the lens.

Application fields

Sensors

Multi-photon polymerization (MPP) enables the production of precise and strong microlenses and microneedles for visualization, filtering, and drug delivery. MPP can also be combined with other fabrication techniques such as selective laser etching to create hybrid microfabricated systems, like glass and polymer structures.

Surface Structuring

Femtosecond laser texturing can manipulate surface wettability to create hydrophobic or hydrophilic surfaces with applications ranging from medical tool functionalization to fluid separation and friction manipulation.

Filters, Flow Moulders

Femtosecond laser micro-drilling is precise and produces minimal heat, making it useful for drilling filters, nozzles, and tools in materials such as metals, ceramics, polymers, and glass. It’s also useful for making cuts in materials without leaving debris.

Employed Processes

Multi-Photon Polymerization

Microfabrication by multi-photon polymerization is a direct laser-write technique which allows 3D structuring of photopolymers at the micro- and nano-scale.

Other Microfabrications

Femtosecond lasers are extremely versatile tools allowing a great variety of different microfabrication processes, like micro-ablation, surface structuring, micro-welding, laser marking, micro-cutting and more.

Laser Nanofactory

Multi-Photon Polimerization

Multiphoton-polymerization (MPP) is a technology that enables the production of arbitrary shape polymeric structures within submicrometric resolution. First, a photoresist sample is prepared by drop-casting polymer material mixed with a photoinitiator on the glass slide and then pre-baking.

Hybrid Fabrication

Laser Nanofactory workstation allows hybrid fabrication, meaning that various processes are supported by the same equipment. The two of our most frequently used processes are multiphoton polymerization and selective glass etching, however that is far from all!

Contract Manufacturing

Feasibility Studies

A feasibility study is composed of several steps, including researching methods for fabricating micro-structures, fabricating a micro-structure prototype, measuring and aligning the prototype with technical requirements, and finally preparing a study report.

Small Scale Production

Small-scale production is an essential step in the overall process of micro-structure fabrication, helping to ensure that the developed process is effective, efficient, and capable of producing high-quality micro-structures at scale.

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