Laser heat treatment with VCSEL

VCSEL lasers are used for the heat treatment of various surfaces and raw materials. They optimize processes such as drying and sealing.

Overview

Operating principle

Advantages

Fields of application

VCSEL laser heat treatment for drying and sealing

VCSEL lasers are used as a tool for surface heating in many industrial processes. As a high-intensity infrared heat source, precisely directed diode laser heat treatment with selective wavelength radiation is both scalable as well asenergy-efficient. VCSEL laser arrays support drying and sealing. In principle, they are designed to be optimal for all processes in which precise surface and temperature control is crucial. In addition, VCSEL heating systems use IR cameras or pyrometers to support temperature measurement during heat treatment. Laser heat treatment modules are very well-suited for flexible large-area heating applications requiring high precision. Compared to conventional heating methods, users benefit from significantly more flexibility, precision and cost savings.

How does heat treatment with VCSEL lasers work?

Thousands of micro-lasers (VCSEL) are installed on a single chip. 56 of these chips are attached to each emitter and multiple emitters are assembled on a module. The rectangular radiation area can contain millions of micro-lasers and emit several kW of infrared laser power. In this way, precise, local heat treatment can be achieved without additional, expensive laser optics or scanner systems.

What is the benefit of local laser heat treatment in industrial production processes?

Advantages of diode lasers (VCSEL) for industrial heat treatment

VCSEL laser technology offers many advantages over conventional technologies such as heating with reflow ovens and hot bars, hot stamping or lasers with zoom optics.

Precise control of heat treatment areas

Selectable wavelengths and local emission zones enable precise configuration of the intensity and area, as well as excellent process results.

Laser heating module with scalable power

Align the module size according to your needs: change the number of mounted emitters or customize the housing.

Tailored solutions for laser heat treatment

Adjust the heat density and laser radiation to individual production needs by selecting the number of VCSEL emitters or adding lens functions.

Worldwide support

TRUMPF offers user support for customers worldwide.

Where are VCSEL lasers used for heat treatment?

Many production and industrial processes benefit from heating by VCSEL laser arrays.

Sealing

The heat generated by VCSEL heating systems creates a tight connection between different surfaces.

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Drying

Laser heat treatment of wet coating materials effectively speeds up drying processes.

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Sealing

The VCSEL technology enables very precise, high-speed seals. This can significantly improve the efficiency of battery production, for example.

Sealing of pouch cells

VCSEL systems can triple the speed of sealing pouch cells. They do this by applying heat for welding inside the pouch film, near the welding area. Heat treatment also provides a very precise seal. This extends the service life of the battery cells since it prevents the formation of wrinkles in the film. This process increases the quality and homogeneity of the pouch cells.

Drying

VCSEL heating systems are versatile in applications with variable scale, e.g. the drying of battery foils.

Drying of battery foils

After coating, battery foils are dried to remove any solvents from their active materials. Industrial VCSEL systems are optimally suited for large-scale heat treatment processes such as the drying of foils. In particular, heat treatment with VCSEL laser arrays is very flexible in terms of both scalability and power irradiance. Large surface areas can be heated with highly precise, local control of wavelength-selective infrared heat.

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Advantages of the TRUMPF VCSEL

What is a VCSEL laser and what are its advantages compared to other laser diodes? What is the structure that makes the special functionality of VCSEL arrays possible in the first place? Find out on this page what makes TRUMPF VCSEL so special and where they are used.

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