Spectra-Physics Launches Industrial Femtosecond Laser for Cutting Glass and Sapphire

Spectra-Physics® introduces Spirit® ClearShape™ or Spirit CS, an industrial femtosecond laser optimized for micromachining of transparent brittle materials. Spirit CS performs the recently announced ClearShape patent-pending laser process for highest quality, fast cutting of curvilinear and closed shapes in chemically strengthened glass, unstrengthened glass, and sapphire. At cutting speeds up to several m/s, the resulting cut quality is several-fold superior to other laser processes with <0.1 µm edge roughness and as-cut bending strength up to 700 MPa for chemically strengthened glass.

“The new Spirit CS industrial femtosecond laser delivers optimized performance for 24/7 manufacturing of displays and windows for mobile devices, wearables, automotive, and other demanding applications,”

says Klaus Madlener, general manager of Spectra-Physics Rankweil.

“We are seeing intense customer interest in this unique laser and process for volume manufacturing applications.”

Spirit CS is a high energy, high repetition rate, femtosecond laser system, delivering >40 µJ pulse energy at 100 or 200 kHz. The ClearShape process is highly efficient and only requires an average output power of <4 W. The laser is fully computer-controlled and allows for easy system integration and use. The Spirit laser family is a thoroughly proven industrial platform and has passed extensive environmental qualification testing to ensure high reliability.

Spectra-Physics’ Spirit ClearShape laser will be featured at Laser World of Photonics, Messe München, Munich, Germany, June 22-25, 2015. Please visit Spectra-Physics at hall A2, booth 307 for a demonstration. For more information, please see www.spectra-physics.com/spirit-clearshape.

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