Laserline

High Power Diode Lasers

www.laserline.de www.laserline.de
Laserline Diode Lasers
A Paradigm Shift
As the leading manufacturer of diode lasers for
material processing, Laserline and its products
have become synonymous with this innovative
technology. Diode lasers are used in production
processes worldwide and prove efficient and reliable
in a wide range of applications.
Founded in 1997, Laserline was a pioneer in the world of
diode lasers for industrial material processing, and within a
short time, the company established itself as the markets
technology leader. Laserline continues to dominate
the industry, and the companys newly expanded
headquarters in Mlheim-Krlich, Germany will allow for
future growth. With a total area of 6,800 m2, over a fifth of
the plant is a cleanroom.
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Established Technology Leader
Since 1999, the beam quality or maximum output from
the same diameter fiber has doubled almost every two
years, expanding Moores law into the laser industry.
Following this trend, Laserline is working to increase the
output power of the diode laser and improve the systems
reliability for industrial production.
The companys success can be attributed to the competence
of its employees specialists and multifaceted experts
from different fields who work together to create innovative
and technologically advanced products.
Company Philosophy: Creative Transformation
At Laserline, we focus on the creative and disciplined
transformation of new ideas into industrial innovations,
and we adhere to the highest standards of quality. This
enables us to develop customized system solutions that
work economically and reliably, even under the toughest
production conditions.
Founded in 1997
Headquartered in Muelheim-Kaerlich, Germany
Subsidiaries in the US, Japan, China and Korea
100 employees in 5 countries
Technology leader in high power diode lasers

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Lasers
For Your Applications

While lasers have long been used as ophthalmology Successful Applications

tools or to cut and weld metals, they are constantly Today, many industrial sectors depend on diode lasers,
enhancing or replacing conventional manufacturing from metal and plastic welding to surface treatment to
processes through the introduction of new pump sources for fiber and disk lasers.
applications.
High electrical/optical efficiency of up to 45%
The first lasers used in material processing, such as gas
Low investment and maintenance costs
and conventional solid state lasers, were large, stationary,
and inefficient. Just as the last century saw the move from Outstanding reliability and robustness
the tube to the transistor, a similar transition is now taking Mobility and compactness
place as the laser industry moves toward high-power Easy integration into systems for production
diode lasers or diode-based lasers. Excellent beam quality
Ease of use and service
An Entirely New Laser
Laserlines lasers are characterized by the use of diodes
as the most efficient form of light generation. The primary
advantage of diode lasers is in their direct transformation
of electricity into light without the need for a pumping
medium. This makes diode lasers more compact, more
efficient, more mobile, and easier to handle than other
lasers. Additionally, diode lasers have a long lifespan and
are virtually maintenance-free.

Welding of Aluminum

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Industrial
Modular and Compact
All Laserline diode lasers are based on a modular
concept and consist of only a few basic components:
the diode laser stacks that are the source of the
beam, the optical components, and a supply unit
with a control and operator panel.
Because of their modular structure, diode lasers can be
easily adapted to a customers specific requirements,
while simplifying maintenance and minimizing the need to
stock spare parts. allows the system to be fitted with additional stacks if extra
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Beam Source
The beam source contains several stacks of individual
diode bars. The number of bars per stack and the total
number of stacks depends on the laser output power and
the required beam quality. Using a straightforward, patented
technology, the beams of the diodes are overlaid to form a
single laser beam that is coupled into an optical fiber.
In most cases, the modular structure of the laser head
power is needed.
Diode stacks are at the core of every Laserline laser

Control and Supply Communication Interfaces

The compact, mobile supply unit controls and monitors
the laser head and its peripheral equipment. All
components needed to operate the diode laser, including
the power supply, cooling unit, and control are modular,
easily replaceable components. The supply unit also
houses the customer and teleservice interfaces.
The diode laser can be easily integrated into external
control systems using standard bus communication such
as PROFINET, DeviceNet, and EtherNet/IP, as well as
analog and digital interfaces. The LDF lasers are controlled
by an LCD display with touch screen technology and
additional control elements.

The mobility of the supply unit creates flexibility, even

if several stations are used, as the diode laser can be
quickly replaced by another, if necessary.

A comprehensive system continuously monitors more

than 70 operating parameters, from the laser head to the
cooling system, ensuring 24/7 availability and operation.
A two-stage fault management system issues immediate
warning and error messages to prevent damage caused
by fault.

Higher brightness with polarization

and wavelength coupling

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Laser Sources
Tailored to Your Process
LDF Fiber-Coupled Power
Laserlines fiber-coupled diode lasers in the LDF series
offer up to 15 kW of output power through optical fibers
ranging from 200 m to 1000 m, depending on the
power level and the needs of the application.
The LDF series lasers are industrial workhorses. The laser
head is integrated into a compact supply unit, whose
sensors monitor the performance of the laser, fiber, and
auxiliary units. Utilizing teleservice and stack and fault
management, the LDF guarantees maximum reliability in a
demanding manufacturing environment.
The diode lasers of the LDF series are particularly well
suited to multiple station operation, with beam switches
and fibers of up to 100 m in length. The mobility and
compactness of the diode lasers allows for completely
new redundancy strategies in multiple station operation.
Beam profiles and optics
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LDM Compact Power
The LDM series fiber-coupled diode lasers are an excellent
choice for OEMs that are looking for a small, cost-effective
yet powerful laser source that is easily integrated into
workstations.
The compact, 19 rack mount is the size of a PC and
houses the laser head with fiber-coupling unit, the power
supply, and the microprocessors that monitor and control
the laser. By scaling back to basic functions and forgoing
a graphical user interface, the lasers of the LDM series
offer a compact system that is able to maintain the highest
standards of reliability.
OEM Customized Power
In addition to our standard products, Laserline offers
customized solutions, including direct, non fiber-coupled
diodes as pump or illumination sources and custom beam
shapes for unique material processing requirements.
Optics
Laserlines optic component product line includes
standard and specialized beam shaping optics, as well as
add-ons such as pyrometers and CCD-cameras for
process monitoring and control.
LDF VG Power LDF VG Flex LDM Compact Power

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Solutions
For Your Applications
Diode lasers constitute a particularly effective and
very compact heat source that can be adapted to a
wide range of applications through the addition of
components or special optics. Diode lasers often
enable completely new methods of production
when conventional techniques such as soldering
and thermally assisted processes are limited or are
not cost-efficient.
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Brazing
Brazing and welding with filler wire are well-established
methods of joining metal components. Diode lasers are
particularly suited to applications such as the brazing of
car body components in industrial mass production,
because they are virtually maintenance-free. Their low
space requirements, mobility, high efficiency, and process
stability make diode lasers the most efficient tool for such
applications.
Cladding Aluminum Welding
Cladding and Coating
Increasingly, diode lasers are proving to be an extremely
innovative technology in cladding and coating applications.
The advantage of diode lasers over conventional tech
niques can be summed up in two words: higher quality.
Welding of Metals
Hardening /Heat Treatment
Diode lasers reliably and selectively harden or heat treat
machine components, tools, accessories, and other parts
against wear. Closed-loop temperature control allows
each material to reach the highest hardeness value
possible. Laser heat treatment can also be used to
prepare high strength materials for the forming process
by the localized reduction of strength of sheet metals.
Welding of Sheet Metal
Diode lasers are used in a wide range of sheet metal
welding applications in industrial, high-volume
manufacturing, from heat conduction welding in the
consumer goods industry to longitudinal seam welding of
tubes. Due to its short wavelength close to the aluminum
absorption peak, the automotive industry selected high
brightness diode laser systems as the tool of choice for
aluminium welding in body-in-white applications.
Keyhole Welding
With a brightness comparable to lamp pumped Nd:YAG
lasers, fiber coupled diode lasers are now also performing
keyhole welds, unthinkable just a short 10 years ago.
Keyhole welding applications include parts for power
generation and transmission components.
Keyhole welding
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Welding of Plastics
Cutting
The excellent beam quality of diode lasers makes them
particularly efficient for melt and blow as well as for
oxygen cutting. They offer the perfect synthesis of beam
quality and efficiency, with an electrical efficiency of over
35 percent. Additionally, the compactness of diode lasers
offers a whole new degree of mobility.
Pump Sources
Modern, diode-pumped solid state lasers are used to cut
thick sheets of metal or for beam scanner welding of
metals. They are based either on single diodes or on
arrays of diode lasers as a pump source. Laserlines diode
lasers and diode laser heads are particularly suited for
this application, as they achieve extremely high optical
pumping efficiency with the highest intensity and a narrow
bandwidth.
Hardening
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Pump Sources
Welding of Plastics
Where high quality, density, reliability, reproducibility,
or design is required, diode lasers with low or medium
output power can use transmission welding for the fast,
non-contact welding of thermoplastics. Suitable areas of
application include medical technology and the automotive
and electrical industries.
Fiber Reinforced Components
Diode lasers are revolutionizing the tape placement and
winding technology for fiber-reinforced plastics. Local
heating and accurate temperature control replace large
autoclaves and enable one-step processing of thermo
plastics. Advanced fiber placement technology with diode
lasers is used by the major airplane manufacturers for
fuselage and panel construction.
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Customer Service
Our Lifeblood
From competent advice on the selection of the
appropriate beam source to service contracts for
diode lasers in three shift production, Laserline is
committed to exceeding our customers highest
expectations.
Our team of dedicated and knowledgeable application
engineers can help develop creative solutions tailored to
our customers individual needs. Laserline has also built a
worldwide network of university research facilities and
system integrators that can be called upon to help with
the development of processes and the design of systems.
Right from the start, we take the future service strategy
into account, laying down the foundation for a successful
partnership and efficient production. Seminars on Laserline
applications and equipment are held either at our plant in
Muelheim-Kaerlich or at our customers facility to ensure a
successful and efficient production process.
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Service 24/7
Our service team is available to answer questions from
product selection, through set up, and when things go
wrong. Laserlines 24/7 hotline and teleservice are services
we offer to all of our customers. With the help of our
teleservice, we can diagnose and, in most cases, remedy
faults immediately.
Customized service
We stock almost all replacement parts so that when
needed, they can be dispatched swiftly to anywhere in the
world. And because of the simple, modular construction
of our parts, they can be installed by the customers own
service personnel, assuring performance, limiting
downtime, and increasing efficiency.
Laserline also offers tailor-made servicing and maintenance
agreements that minimize maintenance requirements and
production downtime and ensure that our diode lasers
achieve over 99.5 percent reliability.
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 Headquarters Subsidiaries Representatives

2011, Laserline GmbH. All rights reserved. Printed on environmentally friendly paper | 110504
Laserline has a worldwide presence, with subsidiaries and
representatives in many countries. Please look up the
Laserline contact in your country at www.laserline.de

Laserline GmbH
Fraunhofer Strae | 56218 Mlheim-Krlich, Germany
Tel. +49 2630 964 0 | Fax +49 2630 964 1018
sales@laserline.de | www.laserline.de

Laserline Inc.
1800 Wyatt Drive, Suite 9 | Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA
Tel. +1 408 834 4660 | Fax +1 408 834 4671
info@laserline-inc.com | www.laserline-inc.com