6D Laser (Arvada, CO), founded in 2018, is an affiliate of motion system supplier ALIO Industries (also in Arvada, CO), specializing in nanoprecision multiaxis solutions. The company’s mission is to integrate ultrafast laser processing with precision multiaxis motion systems.
6D Laser addresses the limitations of existing laser processing systems, which are largely due to sub-optimal positioning systems used by most system integrators. They tackle this problem by integrating ultrafast laser material processing with the 6D nanometer-level precision motion control solutions in which ALIO Industries specializes.
6D Laser vertically integrates all of the subsystems required for precision laser microprocessing, and it does this by forming strategic partnerships with key component and subsystem suppliers that are required to achieve the goals of demanding precision applications.
In addition to its association with ALIO, 6D Laser has also partnered with SCANLAB GmbH (Puchheim, Germany), which together with ACS Motion Control (Yokneam, Israel) has developed an unlimited field-of-view (UFOV) scanning solution for coordinate motion control of the galvo scanner and positioning stages called XL SCAN.
In the area of high-performance planar processing, 6D Laser's Unlimited Field-of-View (UFV) solution combines the precision galvo scanning of SCANLAB's XL SCAN system with ALIO's precision monolithic XY stages for good UFV accuracy. As customers' requirements of laser microprocessing applications become more demanding, the performance of legacy systems do not meet the specifications for accuracy, repeatability, and precision.
The XL SCAN control solution used by 6D Laser applies intelligent filters to control the scan head and stages such that physical limitations of each system are taken into account prior to processing in an integrated trajectory plan. The positions of both systems are coordinated with each other to submicron-level precision within microsecond cycle time.
XL SCAN synchronizes the motion of the galvo scan head and linear stages to increase the total field size without stitching or “tiling.” Its precision is only limited by the image field calibration and stage error mapping.
Automatic laser control can correct the spot distance relative to the velocity and the laser power across the scan field. For increased throughput, four scan heads can be controlled with a single XL SCAN controller.
In addition, the laser signal can be raised or attenuated in accordance with application requirements. This applies to straight as well as rounded laser markings, and multiple parameter changes and jumps for individual vectors are also possible.
The integration of ALIO True Nano motion systems with key subsystem suppliers, through strategic partnerships with Amplitude Laser, SCANLAB, and ACS Motion Control, enables a new level of precision and capability for advanced manufacturing.
For more information, please visit 6dlaser.com.