Micromachining Laser System:

Precision Performance for Advanced Application Requirements

Micromachining example small sample material with micro grooves etched into the surface

The MicroMake Laser Micromachining System from Bright System is an integrated and compact solution designed for high precision and resolution applications. It is currently available at 532nm and 266nm with short nanosecond to sub-nanosecond pulses. Both wavelengths are available in the standard and “Plus” configuration which offers both enhanced peak power and pulse repetition rate.   As a result, the “Plus” configuration is capable of much higher linear processing speeds, though this does come with a slight decrease in spatial resolution. The system includes everything for direct laser micro-processing in a single monolithic element. Live microscope imaging of the sample is available during all process phases for alignment and immediate quality check.

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Laser Micromachining System

Laser Micromachining Systems are fully integrated laser systems that include everything you need for various micromachining applications in a wide variety of materials. Typically, these systems include a laser source, video camera with microscope objective, video software, and a graphical user interface (GUI).

What is laser micromachining?

Laser micromachining (also laser micro-machining, laser beam micro-machining, or precision laser machining) encompasses various processes, including cutting, drilling, milling, turning, threading, structuring, and marking. These processes or applications can be utilized to process micron-level features in various materials such as metals, plastics, glass, ceramics, thin films, and more.

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Learn More About Laser Micromachining Systems

Typically, micromachining refers to a subtractive process (removal of material) with features in the micron range, from a few microns up to a few hundred microns. Micromachining can be performed with direct writing from the laser beam, trepanning or other processes utilizing galvanometer mirrors or through image projection or mask projection.

Micromachining allows for very fine features to be machined, with minimal heat affected zone (HAZ), a low level of roughness, high aspect ratios, and other benefits over macro machining or machining with traditional, physical tools, even to the point that most features would be impossible to create with conventional methods.

If you are looking for our other OEM and laboratory micromachining lasers, such as our ultrafast fiber lasers, head to our Micromachining Lasers application page!

Deeper Dive into Micromachining Systems

Micromachining System Applications

The MicroMake is perfectly suited for a large variety of materials. For example, it handles materials currently used in the fields of microelectronic circuits, display fabrication and correction, biomedical devices machining, and optical substrates micro processing.

Typical applications of this compact system include controlled ablation, micro drilling, precision cutting, selective removal and direct 3D microfabrication.

MicroMake Machining Laser

At the core of the MicroMake is a sub-nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser offered at either the second or fourth harmonic (532 nm and 266 nm) and a 10x microscope objective.  Both wavelengths are available in the standard and “Plus” configuration which offers both enhanced peak power and pulse repetition rate.   As a result, the “Plus” configuration is capable of much higher linear processing speeds, though this does come with a slight decrease in spatial resolution.  The MicroMake 532 is capable of processing up to 5 mm/s with a 4.5-micron resolution, and the MicroMake Plus 532 can process up to 100mm/s with 5-micron resolution.  With the 266 nm version, the maximum peak power is significantly reduced, slowing down the processing time, but by reducing the wavelength by a factor of two, the spatial resolution improves commensurately.  Therefore, the MicroMake 266 is capable of processing up to 1 mm/s with a 2.2-micron resolution, and the MicroMake Plus 266 can process up to 40 mm/s with2.5-micron resolution.

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Machine Vision for Inspection

The MicroMake is a compact, integrated laser micromachining system manufactured by Bright System, a Bright Solutions company.  The MicroMake Laser Micromachining System is a great fit for many high precision and high-resolution applications.

The system includes all the needed devices for direct laser micro-processing in a single monolithic element. Live microscope imaging of the sample is offered during all process phases for alignment and immediate quality check. Typical applications of this compact system include controlled ablation, micro drilling, precision cutting, selective removal and direct 3D microfabrication. See our new Lasers 101 page for in depth information on Solid State Lasers.

Get more details and application examples here.

Micromachining Lasers for Anti-Counterfeiting

Optical technologies have been widely deployed in anti-counterfeiting for many years including holograms, fluorescent tags, and dichroic inks.  One of the newer techniques used to fight the never-ending war on counterfeiting uses a combination of laser marking and laser micromachining to embed microscopic two-dimensional (2D) barcodes (also known as unique identification (UID) tags or data matrix codes) directly onto the item of interest.  These 2D barcodes can be embedded into any item for which identification may be required, this could include but is not limited to currency, precious metals or stones, medical devices, and microelectronics.  In the images below, you can see two examples of such 2D barcodes embedded in copper (left) and gold (right), courtesy of Bright Systems.  Each of these 400-micron by 400-micron 2D barcodes is invisible to the naked eye, but when looked at under a microscope are easily identifiable, making them ideal for anti-counterfeiting.  In this blog, we will explore the types of lasers used in such applications, as well as take a look at the system level requirements for producing high-resolution 2D barcodes for anti-counterfeiting.

Read the full article here.

How Can We Help?

With over 25 years experience providing laser micromachining systems to R&D departments and OEM integrators working in various markets and applications, and 100s of units fielded, we have the experience to ensure you get the right product for the application. Working with RPMC ensures you are getting trusted advice from our knowledgeable and technical staff on a wide range of laser products.  RPMC and our manufacturers are willing and able to provide custom solutions for your unique application.

If you have any questions, or if you would like some assistance please Contact Us here. Furthermore, you can email us at [email protected] to talk to a knowledgeable Product Manager.

Alternatively, use the filters on this page to assist in narrowing down the selection of micromachining laser systems for sale. Finally, head to our Knowledge Center with our Lasers 101 page and Blogs, Whitepapers, and FAQ pages for further, in-depth reading.

Check out our Online Store: This page contains In-Stock products and an ever-changing assortment of various types of new lasers at marked-down/discount prices.

Pulsed Lasers FAQs
What is a Pulsed Laser?
What is a Pulsed Laser?

A pulsed laser is any laser that does not emit a continuous-wave (CW) laser beam. Instead, they emit light pulses at some duration with some period of ‘off’ time between pulses and a frequency measured in cycles per second (Hz). There are several different methods for pulse generation, including passive and active q-switching and mode-locking. Pulsed lasers store energy and release it in these pulses or energy packets. This pulsing can be very beneficial, for example, when machining certain materials or features. The pulse can rapidly deliver the stored energy, with downtime in between, preventing too much heat from building up in the material. If you would like to read more about q-switches and the pros and cons of passive vs active q-switches, check out this blog “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Passive vs Active Q-Switching,” or check out our Overview of Pulsed Lasers section on our Lasers 101 Page!

What is the best laser for LIDAR?

What is the best laser for LIDAR?

There are actually numerous laser types that work well for various LIDAR and 3D Scanning applications. The answer comes down to what you want to measure or map. If your target is stationary, and distance is the only necessary measurement, short-pulsed lasers, with pulse durations of a few nanoseconds (even <1ns) and high pulse energy are what you’re looking for. This is also accurate for 3D scanning applications (given a stationary, albeit a much closer target), but select applications can also benefit from frequency-modulated, single-frequency (narrow-linewidth) fiber lasers. If your target is moving, and speed is the critical measurement, you need a single-frequency laser to ensure accurate measurement of the Doppler shift. If you want to learn more about the various forms of LIDAR and the critical laser source requirements, check out our LIDAR page for a list of detailed articles, as well as all the LIDAR laser source products we offer. Get more information from our Lasers 101, Blogs, Whitepapers, FAQs, and Press Release pages in our Knowledge Center!

What is the best laser for tattoo removal?

What is the best laser for tattoo removal?

Similar to laser hair removal, laser tattoo removal utilizes a process known as selective photothermolysis to target the embedded ink in the epidermis and dermis.  Photothermolysis is the use of laser microsurgery to selectively target tissue utilizing specific wavelengths of light to heat and destroy the tissue without affecting its surroundings.  In laser tattoo removal this is accomplished by using a focused q-switched laser with a fluence of approximately 10 J/cm2, to heat the ink molecules locally.  Since the q-switched laser’s pulse duration (100 ps to 10 ns) is shorter than the thermal relaxation time of the ink molecules it prevents heat diffusion from taking place.  In addition to minimizing damage to the surrounding tissue, this rapid localized heating results in a large thermal differential, resulting in a shock wave which breaks apart the ink molecules. If you would like more details on pulsed lasers for tattoo removal applications, see our Aesthetics Lasers page here! Get more information from our Lasers 101, Blogs, Whitepapers, and FAQ pages in our Knowledge Center!

What is the best laser type for multi-photon microscopy?

What is the best laser type for multi-photon microscopy?

Multiphoton excitation requires high peak power pulses. Previously, wavelength tunable Ti:Sapphire lasers dominated this area, leading to the development of standard methods using a conventional pulse regime with typically 100-150 fs pulse duration, 80 MHz repetition rate, and watt level average power with specific wavelengths such as 800 nm, 920 nm, and 1040-1080 nm. Recently, femtosecond pulsed fiber lasers have started becoming the optimal solution due to their low relatively low fluence, limiting damage to living samples. Other advantages provided by fs fiber lasers include a more attractive price point, very compact and robust format, high electrical efficiency, high reliability, and less maintenance of cost of ownership. If you would like more details on why fs fiber lasers are becoming the optimal choice for multi-photon excitation applications, read this article: “Higher Power fs Fiber Lasers to Image Better, Deeper & Faster.” Get more information from our Lasers 101, Blogs, Whitepapers, FAQs, and Press Release pages in our Knowledge Center!

What is the difference between active and passive q-switching?
What is the difference between active and passive q-switching?

There are a wide variety of q-switch technologies, but the technique as a whole can be broken down into two primary categories of q-switches, passive and active. Active q-switches could be a mechanical shutter device, an optical chopper wheel, or spinning mirror / prism inside the optical cavity, relying on a controllable, user set on/off ability. Passive q-switches use a saturable absorber, which can be a crystal (typically Cr:YAG), a passive semiconductor, or a special dye, and automatically produce pulses based on it’s design. Both passive and active q-switching techniques produce short pulses and high peak powers, but they each have their pros and cons. When choosing between actively q-switched and passively q-switched lasers, the key is to understand the tradeoffs between cost/size and triggering/energy and decide which is best for your particular application. Read more about these tradeoffs in this article: “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Passive vs Active Q-Switching.” Get more information from our Lasers 101, Blogs, Whitepapers, FAQs, and Press Release pages in our Knowledge Center!

What type of laser is used for LIBS?
What type of laser is used for LIBS?

A laser source used for LIBS must have a sufficiently large energy density to ablate the sample in as short a time possible. Typically, pulsed DPSS lasers take center stage here. However, it’s been shown that pulsed fiber lasers can also be a great option. For example, you could utilize fiber lasers to measure detection limits as low as micrograms per gram (µg/g) for many common metals and alloys, including aluminum, lithium, magnesium, and beryllium. Analytical performances showed to be, in some cases, close to those obtainable with a traditional high-energy Nd:YAG laser. The beam quality of fiber lasers, in conjunction with longer pulse widths, resulted in significantly deeper and cleaner ablation craters. If you want to learn more about LIBS and ideal laser sources, check out either this blog: “OEM Fiber Lasers for Industrial Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy,” or this blog: “Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) in Biomedical Applications.” Get more information from our Lasers 101, Blogs, Whitepapers, FAQs, and Press Release pages in our Knowledge Center!

Which IR laser is best for laser target designation?
Which IR laser is best for laser target designation?

There are many different types of laser designation systems used by the military today. Still, they all share the same basic functionality and outcome. At a glance, the laser requirements seem relatively straightforward. The laser needs to be invisible to the human eye, and it needs to have a programmable pulse rate. Still, when you look in more detail, many small factors add up to big problems if not appropriately addressed. Excellent divergence and beam pointing stability, low timing jitter, and rugged, low SWaP design are all critical features of a good laser designation source. Read more on these critical features in this article: “What are the Critical Laser Source Requirements for Laser Designation?” Get more information from our Lasers 101, Blogs, Whitepapers, FAQs, and Press Release pages in our Knowledge Center!