Regio Zuid | Feasibility Study of an inPhocal Laser Beam for Laser Processing Applications

InPhocal uses a unique laser beam technology that was discovered and developed by CERN for high precision alignment applications. The laser beam has several unique characteristics which include self-regeneration which is made possible by the unique ring structure of the beam. Due to this ring structure the central spot of the laser beam can propagate without being affected by diffraction. Therefore the central spot propagates for a long distance without increasing in size. The intensity of the central spot can be tuned in order to contain a large portion of the total energy.. .Laser processing applications rely on focusing high intensities of laser light into a small spot. The high energy density of this spot can result in high localized temperature which can be used for cutting, welding, marking, etc. Such a focused spot can never be used over a long distance because the light diverges directly after it is focused. This limits certain applications that require very fast processing of materials, such as those found in production lines. These limits can be extended by mechanically adjusting the focus, however, this requires complex, expensive and large instrumentation which inhibits consumer acceptance and reduces a number of applications where space is limited.. .The inPhocal laser beam technology characteristics, where a small spot with an intense energy propagates over a long distance, can be applied to laser processing applications. If such a spot propagates over a long distance it effectively can be used as a long-distance focus spot. This would potentially open up new applications as well as significantly improve existing applications where normally the short focus distance imposes limitations. Additionally, it would eliminate the need for complex, expensive, bulky equipment where the focus distance is actively adjusted. The laser spot can also be focused to a spot that is smaller than the diffraction limit. This can potentially enhance the precision of laser processing applications where the spot size is limiting.. .This study will investigate and determine to what market segments the inPhocal technology can be applied to. By gaining insights into the market requirements and investigating the technical viability to these applications it can be determined what the economic feasibility for market entry of the inPhocal technology is. By establishing what value the inPhocal technology gives to industrial processes, such as production lines that are limited by conventional laser processing systems, the go-to-market roadmap for inPhocal technology can be determined. .