PULSE · Project

Ultra-Powerful Fiber Lasers That Cut, Weld, and Shape Metals Faster Than Anything on the Market

manufacturingPilotedTRL 6

Imagine a laser so powerful and precise it can cut through the toughest steel at highway speeds, yet so controlled it can weld two completely different metals together without damaging either one. That's what PULSE built — a 2.5 kilowatt fiber laser that fires pulses lasting just trillionths of a second, thousands of times faster than a blink. Think of it like upgrading from a garden hose to a surgical water jet: same basic idea, but the precision and power are in a completely different league. The team proved it works by cutting boron steel for car bodies and demonstrated 3D surface shaping for renewable energy parts.

By the numbers

2.5 kW

World record ultrafast fiber laser power

1.5 km/s

Maximum polygon scanner beam delivery speed

100 m/s

Boron steel cutting speed demonstrated

500 W

T-DCF amplifier optical power achieved

1 GHz

Maximum pulse repetition rate

M2 < 1.1

Beam quality factor (near-perfect)

2.5–250 µJ

Pulse energy range

Consortium partners across 6 countries

54%

Industry partner ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Manufacturers working with ultra-hard materials like boron steel, or needing to weld dissimilar metals, face a brutal trade-off: current lasers are either powerful enough but too slow and imprecise, or precise but lack the power for production speeds. This bottleneck directly limits throughput in automotive body manufacturing and renewable energy component production, where material requirements keep getting tougher while cost pressure increases.

The solution

What was built

The project built a 2.5 kW ultrafast fiber laser system with adjustable pulse duration (femtosecond to picosecond), a 500W T-DCF amplifier, and a polygon scanner capable of 1.5 km/s beam delivery. They demonstrated boron steel cutting at 100 m/s and proved 3D ablation and dissimilar metal welding in automotive and renewable energy conditions.

Audience

Who needs this

Automotive body-in-white manufacturers cutting boron steelRenewable energy equipment makers machining hard or brittle materialsLaser job shops looking for a multi-purpose ultrafast systemAerospace manufacturers welding dissimilar metals (e.g., aluminum to titanium)Electronics manufacturers needing micro-scale surface structuring

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Automotive manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Car body and structural component manufacturers

If you are an automotive manufacturer dealing with slow or imprecise cutting of ultra-hard boron steel for crash-resistant car bodies — this project developed a laser system that demonstrated boron steel cutting at 100 m/s with excellent cut quality. The system handles dissimilar metal welding with low thermal impact, meaning you can join aluminum to steel without weakening either material. Scanner speeds up to 1.5 km/s mean dramatically faster throughput on production lines.

Renewable energy equipment

mid-size

Target: Solar panel, wind turbine, or battery component manufacturers

If you are a renewable energy equipment maker struggling with precision machining of hard or brittle materials — this project built a 2.5 kW ultrafast laser capable of 3D ablation with pulse energies from 2.5 to 250 µJ. That level of control lets you shape surfaces at the micro-scale without heat damage, which is critical for components like solar cell texturing or turbine blade coatings. The all-fiber design keeps the system compact and industrially stable.

Precision metal processing

SME

Target: Contract laser job shops and metal fabricators

If you run a laser job shop and need one system that handles multiple tasks — cutting, welding, and surface structuring — this project created a single laser platform with electrically adjustable pulse duration from femtoseconds to picoseconds and repetition rates up to 1 GHz. Instead of buying separate lasers for different jobs, you get one compact fiber laser with beam quality M2 below 1.1. The consortium includes 7 industry partners who shaped the system for real production needs.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would a system like this cost compared to existing industrial ultrafast lasers?

The project objective explicitly targets 'highly competitive costs enabling widespread industrial uptake.' While no specific price is published, the all-fiber design eliminates expensive free-space optics and alignment, which typically drives down both purchase price and maintenance costs versus conventional ultrafast laser systems. Contact the consortium for detailed cost-benefit analysis — the project includes a dedicated deliverable on investment case analysis.

Can this scale to full production line speeds?

Yes — the system was designed for industrial scale from the start. The polygon scanner technology handles beam delivery at speeds up to 1.5 km/s, and the boron steel cutting demonstration ran at 100 m/s. The laser itself delivers up to 2.5 kW with repetition rates up to 1 GHz, which are production-grade specifications, not lab curiosities.

What intellectual property protections exist?

The project uses patent-protected tapered double-clad fiber (T-DCF) amplifier technology and a patented polygon scanner system. The nano-imprint lithography for beam combining optics is described as 'pioneering technology.' With 5 SMEs and 7 industry partners in the consortium, IP licensing routes are likely already structured for commercial rollout.

How does this compare to existing high-power lasers on the market?

The project claims a world record 2.5 kW power level for ultrafast fiber lasers with beam quality M2 below 1.1. Most commercial ultrafast lasers top out well below this power level. The combination of high power with adjustable pulse duration (femtosecond to picosecond) and high repetition rate (up to 1 GHz) in a compact all-fiber package is what sets it apart.

How quickly could we integrate this into existing production lines?

The all-fiber configuration means no free-space optical alignment, which simplifies installation. The delivery fiber preserves beam quality over several meters, allowing flexible positioning. The electrical control of pulse parameters means switching between cutting, welding, and ablation modes without hardware changes — just software settings.

What industries has this actually been tested in?

The project demonstrated applications in automotive (boron steel cutting at 100 m/s) and renewable energy sectors (3D ablation). The demonstrations included ultrafast 3D ablation, low-thermal welding of dissimilar metals, and cutting of ultra-hard materials. These are real demonstrations with measurable results, not simulations.

Is there regulatory approval for industrial use?

Based on available project data, specific regulatory certifications are not mentioned. However, the laser system was built to industrial specifications with production-grade power levels and speeds. The consortium's 7 industry partners and detailed cost-benefit analysis suggest the path to deployment compliance was part of the project scope.

Consortium

Who built it

The PULSE consortium is unusually industry-heavy for an EU research project: 7 out of 13 partners are industrial, including 5 SMEs, giving a 54% industry ratio. This signals the technology was shaped by companies that need to sell and use it, not just publish about it. The partnership spans 6 countries (Germany, Greece, Finland, Italy, Latvia, UK) with the coordinator being Tampere University in Finland — a recognized center for photonics research. With 3 universities and 3 research institutes providing the science backbone, and 7 industry players driving application requirements, this consortium was built for technology transfer, not just discovery.

TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SRCoordinator · FI
CENTRO RICERCHE FIAT SCPAparticipant · IT
MODUS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION LIMITEDparticipant · UK
HOCHSCHULE MITTWEIDA (FH)participant · DE
LUNOVU GMBHparticipant · DE
IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNASparticipant · EL
NANOTYPOS EEparticipant · EL
AMPLICONYX OYparticipant · FI
ASTON UNIVERSITYparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

Coordinated by Tampere University (Finland). SciTransfer can facilitate introductions to the project team and industry partners.

Order a report on this consortium See TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing or pilot testing of this ultrafast laser technology for your production line? SciTransfer connects you directly with the right people in the consortium — contact us for a tailored brief.

Order a report on this topic More in Manufacturing & Industry 4.0