Its high power and brightness allow it to weld copper, aluminum, and dissimilar metals in a defect-free, spatter-free manner
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — November 25, 2019 — Based on its recent analysis of the North American high-power blue lasers market for copper welding, Frost & Sullivan recognizes NUBURU, Inc. with the 2019 North American Technology Innovation Award for being the first company to have developed a blue laser technology for welding copper and dissimilar alloys. It is a high-power laser comprising gallium nitride semiconductor laser diodes operating in the blue wavelength coupled to an optical fiber. This technology is highly useful in applications ranging from automotive electric vehicles (EVs) to consumer electronics module manufacturing within smartphones, laptops, and desktops.
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In 2018, NUBURU commercialized its blue laser technology in the form of the 150 Watt AO-150 and 500 Watt AO-500 products for industrial applications. Though conventional industrial lasers are powerful, reliable, and automated, they operate in the IR region with a wavelength of about 1 to 10 microns (µm), which is inadequate to efficiently weld copper. The blue laser technology operates at a wavelength of 450 nm, which makes it well suited for welding copper and other metal alloys with a material thickness of up to 700 microns (µm). The physics of blue light allows copper to absorb 13 times more light than possible with IR light, resulting in a quicker melt of the copper material and keyhole mode welds.
“The AO-500 blue laser technology has a processing power equivalent to a 5 kilowatt IR laser, without reaching the vaporization stage or creating bubbles inside the weld. This results in a mechanically strong and spatter-free, defect-free weld,” said Ranjana Lakshmi Venkatesh Kumar, Industry Analyst. “By adopting high-power blue laser diodes, developing micro and macro optics solutions, and integrating these with an optical fiber to produce a laser beam similar to conventional industrial lasers, NUBURU presents a differentiated blue laser technology to the welding industry.”
NUBURU is especially focusing on increasing its laser’s power from 500 Watts to 1kW-4kW so it may be used to weld materials with a thickness of 2mm to 5mm. It is also investing resources in developing brighter lasers. The brighter the laser, the smaller the spot size, which generates a deeper, stronger, and thinner weld. NUBURU’s near-term aim is to provide a laser power source that is two times more powerful than other blue energy sources, enabling a 60 percent deeper penetration of the weld.
“Significantly, NUBURU is targeting the high-potential 3D printing metal market. As blue laser technology can provide 10 times faster build rate and results in high-resolution net-shape parts, the solution is expected to experience high adoption in this large, demanding market,” noted Kumar. “NUBURU caters to a key future need in welding by ensuring improved productivity and resolution via blue light lasers. Frost & Sullivan recognizes its foresight of identifying a vital industry need and addressing it with its timely blue light laser technology.”
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed a product with innovative features and functionality that is gaining rapid acceptance in the market. The award recognizes the quality of the solution and the customer value enhancements it enables.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
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Contact:
Harley Gadomski
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E: harley.gadomski@frost.com
About NUBURU, Inc.
NUBURU is leading the transformation to a world of high-speed, high-quality metal machining and processing using a first-to-market class of high-power, high-performance blue lasers.
NUBURU technology enables radical gains in speed and quality in existing metal processes, and also unlocks a path to new designs for both conventional laser-metal machining and additive manufacturing (3D printing). www.nuburu.net
