Micro machining is a critical factor in bringing new automotive, medical, semiconductor, and aerospace products to market. Achieving the designs for next generation fuel injectors, coronary stents, and high-density micro holes require precision and cycle times beyond what is possible using older electronic discharge machining (EDM) equipment. Precision Features in Seconds Femtosecond laser technology has been developed and commercialized that is making these designs possible and economically feasible. Femtosecond (one quadrillionth of a second) pulses of light precisely remove material without physical contact to the part and without generating heat. Heatless, touchless machining instantly creates precision features in a single step—with no thermal or mechanical damage and no post processing needed to finish the part.

Ultrafast Femtosecond Micro Machining or EDM What’s the right tool for the job?

Ultrafast laser micro machining is displacing electronic discharge machining (EDM) is some applications.

GF MICROLUTION, INC. 6635 W IRVING PARK RD. CHICAGO, IL 60634 TEL. 773-282-6495 FAX. 866-417-4459 www.microlution-inc.com

Femtosecond laser micro machining platforms are replacing EDM and other slower laser systems in multiple applications. In a 2010 report, “EDM: Ram-Type and Small Hole,” market research firm Dedalus Consulting studied the worldwide EDM market. Their report begins with a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of EDM machining. New femtosecond laser (FSL) solutions have most of the advantages of EDM, and none of the disadvantages.

EDM Advantages*

EDM FSL EDM Disadvantages*

EDM FSL

Ability to create complex shapes

Yes Yes Only machines conductive materials

Yes No

Can machine very hard materials

Yes Yes Slow cycle times Yes No

Can machine very small work pieces

Yes Yes Additional time and cost to create RAM and Sinker electrodes

Yes No

Ability to cut very fine shapes like a thin slit

Yes Yes Limited repeatability due to electrode wear

Yes No

Can cut quenched metals and very hard metals

Yes Yes

Single wire/tool can cut any shape

Yes Yes

Automated CNC operation

Yes Yes

Particularly good at small hole drilling

Yes Yes

*Source: Dedalus Consulting EDM Strengths EDM uses an electrical charge to remove material, has proven effective at machining hard metals, and can achieve tighter tolerances than the technology it replaced—mechanical drilling or punching. As noted in the report, EDM machining equipment makes is possible to cut small odd-shaped angles, detailed contours or cavities in hardened steel as well as exotic metals like titanium, hastelloy, kovar, inconel, and carbide. The EDM Process is commonly used in the Tool and Die industry for mold making, however in recent years EDM has become a integral part for making prototype and production parts. This is seen in the aerospace and electronics industries where production quantities remain low. GF Machining Solutions (GFMS) offers a complete line of Sinker EDM, Wire EDM and Hole Drilling EDM machining platforms. GFMS EDM platforms can be used to machine

GF MICROLUTION, INC. 6635 W IRVING PARK RD. CHICAGO, IL 60634 TEL. 773-282-6495 FAX. 866-417-4459 www.microlution-inc.com

conductive materials of any hardness (for example steel or titanium) to an accuracy of up to one-thousandth of a millimeter with no mechanical action. EDM Limitations EDM does have some limitations. EDM can only machine conductive materials, for example. Because EDM uses heat to remove material, there can be significant recast that occurs. A good deal of post-processing can be required to ultimately meet manufacturers’ specifications for part quality. Also, because the EDM electrode wears over time, the contours achieved can be uneven, and electrodes must be replaced periodically. The combination of electrode wear and recast also requires constant flushing of the work area due to debris buildup. The figure below shows an example of femtosecond laser athermal machining. The left-hand picture is an image of three grooves milled into the surface of stainless steel. The right-hand picture is an even higher magnification SEM image of the cross- section of one of the groove sidewalls. The dark part of the image is where material has been removed by femtosecond laser ablation, and the light part is the remaining metal, which has been chemically treated to expose the metal’s grain structure. The grain structure is unchanged all the way to the edge where the ablation took place. There is no sacrifice of material integrity and no need for post-processing to remove HAZ.

New Laser Solution Microlution, a subsidiary of GFMS, pioneered the world first industrial class ultrafast laser micromachining platform. The ML-5 is a 5-axis station that can be configured to drill, mill and cut with no Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) to deliver precision parts in seconds. The ML-5 includes part handling, motion control, and metrology and measurement features in a single platform. The ML-5 is at work in automotive, medical, consumer product, life sciences and semiconductor industries around the world, combining ultrafast laser precision material removal with exceptional stability, motion control, part handling and integrated measurement and verification.

GF MICROLUTION, INC. 6635 W IRVING PARK RD. CHICAGO, IL 60634 TEL. 773-282-6495 FAX. 866-417-4459 www.microlution-inc.com

With the addition of Microlution, GFMS now offers the most complete line of micro machining technology in the industry, and offering the right tool for any micro machining challenge.

ML-55-AxisUltrafastLaserKeyFeatures:Laserandlaser/mechanicalconfigurationsUpto5axesofmotionPrecisiongroundnaturalgranitebaseHigh-accelerationlinearmotorsHeidenhainglassscaleencodersGranite-mountedironlessrailsSupportsmultiplelasertypes LasertoolsensorIn-lineworkpiecetouchprobeConfocallaserprobePositionalaccuracy:+/-1µmRepeatability:+/-0.5µm

X,Y,ZMotion• X-Axis:Upto12”(305mm)• Y-Axis:Upto13”(330mm)• Z-Axis:Upto12”(305mm)

Compactfootprint(WxDxH):• 91x41x82in• 2312x1050x2073mm