Evaluation of an ultrashort pulsed laser robot system for flexible and large-area micromachining

We report for the first time on the realization, characterization and application of an ultrashort pulsed laser robot system for flexible and large-area 2D and 3D laser micromachining with 6 articulated axes. To characterize the dynamic positioning of the laser beam during and after axes movement, CMOS image sensors were integrated into the beam path. A method introduced for the alignment of the optical axes allows a reduction of the deviations in laser beam positioning to less than 141.8 ± 92.9 μm within a 110° rotation range of axis 4. In addition, a high laser beam positioning repeatability of less than 102.2 μm is demonstrated over a total period of 14 h for a movement of axis 5 within a range of 0° to 90°. Initial laser cutting, laser structuring and laser marking applications on automotive dashboards and glass substrates are presented for flexible and large area 2D and 3D manufacturing. By applying a special laser cutting strategy for processing AF 32 eco thin glass, high cutting quality is achieved with a taper of up to 96.3% without the generation of cracks, demonstrating the innovative potential of the high-precision laser robot system. Nonetheless, different identified inherent influences of each axis 1–5 during robot axis movement demand for an innovative beam stabilization concept to achieve high precision in laser beam positioning.