Corona AFX-2000 Beam-Shaping Laser Boosts Productivity for LPBF Additive Manufacturing

The nLIGHT Corona AFX-2000 2-kW laser features proprietary beam-shaping technology which is designed to significantly boost productivity in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processes to reduce part cost for high-volume metal additive manufacturing (AM).

Using laser beam shaping, the company says the AFX-2000 can successfully deliver twice the amount of available power compared to current state-of-the-art lasers while maintaining a stable process. The increased power results in higher productivity and lower cost per part, while maintaining the stability needed to produce high-quality parts.

“The exclusive beam profiles of the AFX-2000 have brought LPBF print speeds to exciting new levels while maintaining precision, control and material quality for laser powder bed fusion,” says Rob Martinsen, nLIGHT CTO. “The dynamic beam-shaping technology in these lasers allows for productivity-optimized switching between profiles ideal for fine-scale features and contour exposures to extremely fast and highly reproducible build rates using ring beam profiles, making it the most versatile and efficient laser available for metal AM.”

The company, a provider of high-power semiconductor and fiber lasers, says the AFX-2000 has undergone successful commercial validation with a leading customer that supports the aerospace, defense and automotive end markets. Using aluminum alloys, this customer is now achieving print speeds up to three times faster when compared to today’s leading large-format printers.

Martinsen says the company anticipates the AFX-2000 will be widely adopted for highly reflective alloys such as aluminum and copper, materials that benefit greatly from stable, high-brightness laser processing. “The AFX-2000 will enable our customers to meaningfully reduce part costs for high-volume manufacturing,” Martinsen says.

Now in production, the AFX-2000 is offered in nLIGHT’s modulus platform, an integrated multilaser subsystem designed for ultrahigh-productivity LPBF printers. The feature-rich modulus platform greatly simplifies the integration, control and serviceability of multilaser printers, while enabling new levels of machine utilization and reproducibility of production parts.

As part of Formnext, nLIGHT is hosting a multiday Powered by Beam Shaping seminar series with speakers from leading OEMs such as 3D Systems, Aconity3D, AMCM, DMG Mori USA, EOS and Nikon SLM Solutions. The series will highlight new use cases across several markets being enabled by nLIGHT’s Corona AFX beam-shaping technology.