12.06.12
Nashua, N.H.-based Resonetics, a supplier of polymer micromachining services for life-sciences, has opened a facility the company has dubbed “Lightspeed ADL,” an 8,000-square-foot center focused exclusively on micromachining process development, prototyping and pilot production. The lab will offer laser technologies including excimer, DPSS, CO2, femtosecond and picosecond workstations, and will be staffed with engineers, technicians, and skilled operators on two shifts, according to the company.
“With this investment, Resonetics has created a world-class capability to service the needs of the life-sciences industry,” said Tom Burns, CEO of Resonetics. “Speed to market is critical for our customers when launching new products, as is reliable, well-designed and validated manufacturing processes. Laser micromachining is an enabling process for some of the industry’s most cutting-edge technologies; Resonetics intends to maintain its leadership by dedicating significant resources to the product development process.”
Resonetics also has received its fifth patent granted by the U.S. Patent Office. The new patent is for apparatus for minimizing a heat-affected zone (HAZ) during laser micro-machining. The patent addresses a common problem in laser micromachining: In the application of lasers to micro-fabrication there is always a degree of undesired side effects due to the spread of laser energy to adjacent material. These include loss of geometrical fidelity of the cut, irreversible modification of the adjacent material properties and changes in its surface characteristics. These effects are often more pronounced in polymers.
According to Sergey Broude, Ph.D., vice president of technology at Resonetics, the company’s invention “manages the delivery of laser energy to the target so that the HAZ is minimized or effectively eliminated while the ablation throughput is kept as high as possible for a given laser. This efficient management is achieved by optimizing the configuration of the illumination field and the target scanning pattern.”
“The new patent is another example of how Resonetics continues to be at the forefront of innovation in laser micromachining,” added Burns. “It shows that we’re dedicated to providing our customers with products and services that offer the highest levels of quality and value.”
“With this investment, Resonetics has created a world-class capability to service the needs of the life-sciences industry,” said Tom Burns, CEO of Resonetics. “Speed to market is critical for our customers when launching new products, as is reliable, well-designed and validated manufacturing processes. Laser micromachining is an enabling process for some of the industry’s most cutting-edge technologies; Resonetics intends to maintain its leadership by dedicating significant resources to the product development process.”
Resonetics also has received its fifth patent granted by the U.S. Patent Office. The new patent is for apparatus for minimizing a heat-affected zone (HAZ) during laser micro-machining. The patent addresses a common problem in laser micromachining: In the application of lasers to micro-fabrication there is always a degree of undesired side effects due to the spread of laser energy to adjacent material. These include loss of geometrical fidelity of the cut, irreversible modification of the adjacent material properties and changes in its surface characteristics. These effects are often more pronounced in polymers.
According to Sergey Broude, Ph.D., vice president of technology at Resonetics, the company’s invention “manages the delivery of laser energy to the target so that the HAZ is minimized or effectively eliminated while the ablation throughput is kept as high as possible for a given laser. This efficient management is achieved by optimizing the configuration of the illumination field and the target scanning pattern.”
“The new patent is another example of how Resonetics continues to be at the forefront of innovation in laser micromachining,” added Burns. “It shows that we’re dedicated to providing our customers with products and services that offer the highest levels of quality and value.”