The new Rapid FX from Coherent, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) (Nasdaq: COHR) is a cost effective femtosecond laser solution for high precision micromachining of metal, glass, sapphire, ceramic and other dielectric materials. Specifically, this solid-state laser delivers just 900 fs pulsewidths, with a pulse energy of up to 100 µJ, at a repetition rate of 100 kHz (with optional operation at up to 200 kHz). Together with its high beam quality (M²<1.4) and pulse-on-demand operation, Rapid FX's high energy femtosecond pulses enable the production of micron scale features, with virtually no heat affected zone, without any sacrifice in processing speed.
These processing characteristics, combined with the low initial purchase price and superior reliability of the Rapid FX, make it an economical choice for a variety of industrial applications which require high uptime and consistent performance. Typical examples include drilling holes in automotive fuel injector nozzles, glass and sapphire scribing for display and smartphone manufacture, and precision structuring of medical implants. While Coherent’s portfolio of picosecond and nanosecond lasers offers many compelling application advantages, the new Rapid FX femtosecond laser offers improved dimensional accuracy and an expanded process window.