The Institute of Scientific Instruments of the CAS now has a brand new micromachining laser centre, the “heart” of which is a custom-made Perla 100 pulsed laser manufactured by the HiLASE Centre.
This laser is exceptional in that it can machine even fragile materials with micrometer precision and create miniature holes where this would not otherwise be possible. “Making something as complicated as a cogwheel out of silicon is basically impossible with any other technology,” says Associate Professor Libor Mrņa, Head of the Laser Technology Department at the Institute of Scientific Instruments of the CAS.
Such precision is due, among other things, to the parameters of the PERLA®100 laser. It is a pulsed laser, which means that it does not shine continuously, but in short flashes at the picosecond level, with a repetition rate of 60,000 pulses per second. This allows it to machine materials cold and with minimal losses.
Listen to the full report on Czech Radio’s Morning Plus (3/5/2021 at 7:10, 7:23 – 7:28 am) – in Czech language.
