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IPG Fiber Laser Technology

IPG unique fiber laser technologies provides customers with higher output powers and superior beam quality at a much lower investment than competing technology. Proprietary designs are based around innovative pumping techniques and high-performance components perfected over a 20-year period of intense investment and innovation.

The building block of the fiber laser is the IPG single emitter diode, which has lifetime an order of magnitude longer than the lifetimes of diode array or bar-stack alternatives. Unlike traditional diode array technologies, frequent on/off modulation of IPG single emitter diodes does not affect their lifetime. IPG pumps are hermetically sealed to telecom standards, so they’re unaffected by the most aggressive industrial environments including humidity, dust and vibration. The exceptionally high reliability of IPG single emitter pumps is proven by extensive testing in laboratories, substantiated by field reliability and supported by the best warranty in the industry.

Benefits of IPG Fiber Lasers

IPG fiber lasers are the most compact and energy efficient lasers on the market, added benefits include:

Virtually maintenance free
Reliably operates even in the harshest industrial environments including extreme vibration, dirt, humidity and temperature changes
Flexible beam delivery supports easy production integration
Delivers the widest breadth of output powers, wavelengths and modes of operation
High flexibility in choosing operating parameters.
5-10 times more efficient in energy conversion than legacy CO₂ lasers
Wall plug efficiencies of 45% to over 50% exceed any alternative laser technologies

This unbeatable combination of benefits results in maximum productivity and the fastest ROI, making IPG fiber lasers industry standard and customer’s product of choice in numerous materials processing applications.

Types of Fiber Laser Sources

IPG offers diverse selection of fiber laser families across all modes of operation including continuous wave lasers, quasi-CW lasers, nanosecond pulsed lasers, ultrafast pico- and femtosecond pulsed lasers. IPG fiber lasers span the wavelength range from ultraviolet to Mid-IR and provide output powers from a few Watts to many kilowatts.

Continuous Wave (CW) Lasers

IPG offers a wide selection of continuous wave (CW) fiber lasers that can be integrated into laser systems, ranging in power from 10 W to tens of kilowatts. The primary use of CW lasers is to have the beam turned on for extended periods of time for continuous processing. However, IPG CW lasers can also be modulated at frequencies from a few kHz up to tens of kHz to provide pulsed laser processing in millisecond to microsecond pulse duration regime if required.

Quasi Continuous Wave (QCW) Lasers

IPG Quasi Continuous Wave (QCW) fiber lasers produce peak power 10 times greater in pulsed mode than when operating in CW mode, providing Joules of energy at pulse durations from 10 microseconds to 100 milliseconds. This makes QCW lasers ideal for high precision welding, fine cutting and drilling applications where high pulse energy is required to initiate or sustain laser-material coupling, but where parts may be sensitive to the heat produced in CW processing.

Pulsed Nanosecond Lasers

IPG offers pulsed nanosecond lasers spanning pulse durations from 1 to >1000 ns ranging in average output power from 10 W to 5 kW.

The laser beam quality can be optimized for fine micromachining or high speed surface treatment applications such as ablation, cleaning and texturing. The lasers span the wavelength range from ultraviolet and green to mid-infrared. Adjustable pulse duration options and variety of beam delivery, such as 2D and 3D scanners greatly enhance their versatility.

Ultrafast Lasers

In micromachining applications requiring small heat affected zone ultrashort pulse duration lasers are frequently used. Building on well-established expertise in pulsed fiber laser technology, IPG Photonics has developed ultrafast fiber lasers designed for precision micro-materials processing. IPG ultrafast fiber lasers utilize the intrinsic advantages of fiber laser technology allowing the most robust and cost effective laser tools. IPG ultrafast fiber lasers increase micro-machining throughout, improve reliability and eliminate cost barriers to ownership.

Adjustable Mode Beam (AMB) Lasers

YLS-AMB Adjustable Mode Beam Lasers provide independent programmable adjustment of the output beam mode to any combination of a small-spot high intensity bright core to a larger ring-shaped beam allows processing a wider range of material thicknesses and optimizes welding and cutting performance. Welding with AMB laser virtually eliminates spatter, reduces cracking and improves the overall finish. AMB lasers also provide better kerf quality when cutting thick mild steel.

High Peak Power (HPP) Lasers

The High Peak Power (HPP) option on YLR and YLS lasers enables running a CW laser in pulsed mode with up to 2X increase in peak power in comparison with CW average power. High Peak Power provides advanced processing capabilities for faster piercing, increased output quality, repeatability and waste reduction. HPP increases overall processing speeds, repeatedly drills clean holes and delivers high quality cuts of intricate parts with fine features while reducing overall laser power requirements. HPP also enhances drilling capabilities by allowing clean, controlled drilling in thicker materials. For cutting applications, this means shorter lead-ins and denser part nesting, which reduces material cost and waste.

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