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Industrial manufacturing is under increasing pressure. Sales markets that were considered secure for decades are becoming unstable. Robust supply chains are being threatened. Energy and material costs are rising, markets demand a growing number of variants, and new products must reach production readiness ever faster. In this environment, the laser has established itself as a reliable manufacturing tool. Its physical principles are well understood, and many laser-based processes are mature and proven in industrial use. As a result, the focus of research is clearly shifting.
The key question is no longer whether a process can be realized with a laser, but how efficiently, robustly, and economically it can be operated in everyday production. Productivity is therefore one of the most important aspects of the research work carried out at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT. This does not simply mean higher processing speeds, but a balanced combination of throughput, process stability, and reproducible quality. Significant gains are rarely achieved through isolated technological leaps. Instead, they result from intelligently combining processes, running steps in parallel, and scaling existing approaches. Reducing non-productive time and using available resources more effectively often delivers a greater impact than optimizing individual parameters in isolation.
What productivity means today – more than just higher power
Productivity in laser technology cannot be reduced to laser power and feed rate alone. It becomes visible in the overall process: short cycle times, low auxiliary times, minimal re-clamping, little or no rework, and consistently stable quality. A process is only truly productive if it runs reliably in daily operation without the need for constant manual adjustment.
At the same time, a fundamental condition has changed. Laser power is no longer a scarce or prohibitively expensive resource in many applications. High-power sources are widely available, and additional watts often add little to overall system cost. The decisive question is therefore not how much power is available, but how efficiently it can be translated into real productivity. This is where modern challenges lie. Only when the laser source, beam delivery, process strategy, and system integration work together in a coherent way does available power turn into higher throughput. Without this translation, high power remains little more than a number on a data sheet.
Laser combination processes as a lever for productivity
Laser combination processes are the supreme discipline in this context, ideally allowing all processes to work together smoothly. They bring together approaches in which multiple processing steps are carried out within one system, within a tightly coordinated sequence, or even simultaneously. The key idea is not complexity for its own sake, but a more productive overall workflow. By integrating steps that were previously separated, such concepts can shorten conventional process chains, reduce interfaces and handovers, and avoid repeated set-ups or re-clamping.
This integration has two direct effects on productivity. First, it cuts non-productive time: fewer transfers between machines, fewer intermediate inspections, fewer corrections after the fact. Second, it allows laser energy and process time to be applied exactly where they create value rather than being lost in transitions, waiting times, or redundant operations. In many cases, the productivity gain comes less from pushing one parameter to its limit and more from designing the process flow so that each step builds efficiently on the previous one.
Parallelization: more effect within the same time window
Running processes in parallel is one of the most direct ways to increase productivity. Instead of executing individual steps one after another, several effects are generated at the same time. This shortens cycle times and makes better use of available energy, equipment, and working time. Parallelization therefore addresses productivity at its core: more value is created within the same time window.
A clear example is the „Simultaneous Coating and Roller Burnishing“ (SCaRB) process that combines extreme high-speed laser cladding (EHLA) with roller burnishing in a single process step. While the applied layer is still warm, a roller tool runs over the resulting surface, plastically compacting it and smoothing out roughness peaks. This creates a dense, pressure-saturated surface layer with high surface quality and without needing ablation or any additional setup.
A similar idea underlies the „Simultaneous Machining and Coating“ (SMaC) approach that combins mechanical machining with EHLA in a single process step. Also invented at the Fraunhofer ILT, SMaC solves a fundamental problem of high-strength protective coatings that protect against corrosion and wear: The harder the coating, the better the protection, but the more complex the post-processing. What is unique about SMaC is that it utilizes the residual heat generated in the EHLA process.
Parallel processes reduce cycle time, improve process reliability, and use resources more efficiently. Productivity gains arise not from working faster in isolated steps, but from doing more at the same time in a controlled and stable way.
High-power ultrashort-pulse lasers for area processing
In addition to parallelization, scaling established processes plays a central role in improving productivity. Many laser processes are well understood on a small scale, but only become economically attractive when they can be transferred to larger areas or higher throughput. This shift is currently visible in the field of ultrashort-pulse lasers.
For a long time, ultrashort-pulse technology was associated mainly with high precision and low material damage, typically at moderate average powers. Today, this picture is changing. Ultrashort-pulse lasers in the kilowatt class are becoming available and open up new possibilities for productive surface and volume processing. Applications that were previously limited by processing time now move into a range that is relevant for industrial manufacturing.
However, higher power alone does not automatically translate into higher productivity. The decisive factor is how this power is brought to the workpiece. Suitable beam shaping, fast and precise beam deflection, and adapted process strategies are essential to distribute the energy efficiently and avoid unwanted effects such as heat accumulation, or instabilities. Only when these elements are aligned does high-power ultrashort-pulse technology deliver its full productivity potential. Without this system-level approach, additional watts remain underutilized rather than becoming effective throughput.
Acceleration through new process principles: optical stamping
In many laser applications, productivity is limited not by the laser itself but by the way energy is delivered to the surface. Scanning strategies are highly flexible and precise, yet when large areas or repetitive microstructures are required, scanning quickly becomes the dominant time factor. Each additional path adds to the total process time, even if sufficient laser power is available.
Here, optical stamping offers a fundamentally different approach. Instead of scanning a structure point by point or line by line, a spatial light modulator shapes the beam so that an entire pattern is transferred to the surface in a single laser pulse. Complex microstructures can thus be generated in one step rather than through thousands of individual movements.
This concept can be understood as a laser combination process in which optics, laser source, and process strategy are closely interlinked. The classical machining path is effectively removed from the process chain. Productivity gains do not come from higher speed along a path, but from replacing many individual steps with one controlled interaction. In this way, optical stamping illustrates how new process principles can unlock productivity by rethinking how laser energy is applied in time and space.
Hybrid manufacturing: the laser as part of an integrated overall process
The idea of combining processes extends therefore goes far beyond laser–laser interactions. In many cases, the greatest productivity gains arise when laser-based methods are intelligently integrated with conventional manufacturing processes. Rather than replacing established techniques, the laser complements them where its strengths are most effective.
A good example is the production of hybrid tools. Large base bodies are manufactured using casting or forging, processes that are highly efficient for producing volume and basic geometry. Functional areas, such as complex cooling channels or locally reinforced regions, are then added by laser-based additive manufacturing. This division of labor allows each process to operate in its optimal domain.
From a productivity perspective, this approach offers several advantages. Overall manufacturing time is reduced because additive processing is limited to the regions where it adds decisive value. Material use becomes more efficient, as expensive alloys are applied only where needed. At the same time, tool performance can be improved through integrated functionality, without increasing overall complexity. Hybrid manufacturing thus demonstrates how combining laser processes with conventional methods can lead to more economical and robust production strategies rather than purely technological showpieces.
Rethinking process chains: from individual steps to integrated solutions
In many cases, the greatest productivity gains are not achieved by optimizing a single process step, but by redesigning the entire process chain. Traditional manufacturing routes often consist of a sequence of isolated operations, each with its own setup, handling, and quality checks. While each step may be efficient on its own, the overall chain accumulates time losses and sources of variability.
Laser-based process chains offer an alternative approach, as demonstrated by a research project at Fraunhofer ILT. The scientists use laser processes from shaping and material removal through to surface finishing and functional structuring. Digital planning and simulation link these steps from the outset, ensuring that each operation is aligned with the next.
This integrated view reduces interfaces between processes and minimizes manual intervention. Fewer handovers mean fewer opportunities for errors and less need for intermediate correction. At the same time, digital control enables reproducible quality across the entire chain. In this context, the combination of laser processes does not simply replace individual conventional steps; it substitutes long, time-intensive sequences with a coherent, digitally driven workflow that delivers both higher productivity and greater consistency.
Common success factors across all approaches
Whether productivity gains are achieved through parallelization, hybrid manufacturing, or entirely new process principles, the underlying success factors remain largely the same. Laser processes only become truly productive when they operate within stable and well-understood process windows. Without this stability, higher speed or greater integration merely amplifies variability instead of creating value.
Monitoring and control therefore play a central role. In-situ sensing, real-time data evaluation, and closed-loop control help to keep processes within their optimal range, even under changing conditions. This reduces scrap, limits the need for rework, and allows systems to run reliably over long periods.
Equally important is a systematic design-for-laser approach. Components and process chains must be conceived with the laser in mind from the beginning, rather than adapted afterward. In this context, artificial intelligence is gaining importance in laser technology. Data-driven methods support process optimization, parameter selection, and predictive maintenance. Used correctly, they strengthen robustness and reproducibility. Productivity thus emerges not from individual technologies alone, but from the interaction of hardware, software, and intelligent process design within a coherent system.
Outlook: from demonstration to industrial production
Transferring promising concepts from laboratory demonstrations into robust and scalable production environments requires engineering experience, system understanding, and close collaboration with industry. Processes must prove that they can operate reliably over long periods, tolerate variations in materials and components, and integrate smoothly into existing production lines.
In this transition phase, experienced research partners play a key role. With its long-standing expertise in laser-based manufacturing, system integration, and application-oriented research, Fraunhofer ILT supports international industry in turning innovative laser concepts into productive industrial solutions. The focus is not only on technological excellence, but on creating processes that deliver measurable productivity gains in real manufacturing environments.
Dipl.-Betrw. Silke Boehr
Head of Marketing Group
Phone +49 241 8906-288
silke.boehr@ilt.fraunhofer.de
Martin Grolms M.A.
Group Communication
Phone +49 241 8906-353
martin.grolms@ilt.fraunhofer.de
Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT
Steinbachstraße 15
52074 Aachen, Germany
www.ilt.fraunhofer.de
https://www.ilt.fraunhofer.de/en.html
SMaC combines EHLA-based coating with mechanical machining in one step. This speeds up the productio ...
Copyright: © Fraunhofer ILT, Aachen, Germany.
With the optical stamping process, the beam of an ultrashort pulse laser can be precisely shaped int ...
Copyright: ©Fraunhofer ILT, Aachen, Germany.
Grainded (left) and laser-polished lens (right).
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