As part of our “Spotlight on CLP Members” series, discover the companies that are driving and shaping the industrial laser industry. For this new interview, we are giving the floor to LASEA, a European industrial group specializing in femtosecond laser technologies for precision micromachining.
From the design of dedicated laser machines to the development of optical modules, as well as the manufacturing of standard equipment and UV and excimer laser processes, LASEA brings together complementary areas of expertise to support industrial projects from initial concept through to series production. Miniaturization, micron-level precision, automation and new materials: discover LASEA’s vision of the evolution of laser micromachining and what its involvement in the Club Laser et Procédés brings to the group.
Could you introduce your company, its activities and areas of expertise?
Founded in 1999, LASEA is a European industrial group specializing in femtosecond laser technologies for precision micromachining.
The group brings together three brands with complementary expertise, enabling it to support industrial laser micromachining projects from the initial concept through to series production.
LASEA, the group’s parent company and main brand, operates across two sites. In Liège, its headquarters designs laser machines configured to meet the specific requirements of each application. Depending on the project, LASEA can offer a proven configuration, combine several existing solutions, or develop a dedicated machine when production volumes justify it. Customers therefore benefit from the reliability of equipment that has already been validated and adapted to their process. In Bordeaux, the team develops the group’s optical modules, which are integrated into LASEA machines and also supplied to integrators and machine builders.
Based in Besançon, Laser Cheval manufactures standard laser machines and also provides subcontracting services in marking, engraving, micro-cutting and welding, particularly for the watchmaking industry. This dual activity makes it possible to validate processes under real production conditions before delivering the appropriate equipment.
Finally, OPTEC, based in Frameries, specializes in UV and excimer laser processes. The company designs special-purpose machines, particularly for machining heat-sensitive materials and for micro-structuring applications.
The group also relies on two sales and service subsidiaries, located in San Diego and Bienne, to provide close commercial and technical support to customers in North America and Switzerland.
What are the main technological challenges currently facing your customers and your industry?
The laser micromachining industry is facing several converging challenges: the continuous miniaturization of components, increasingly complex geometries, the growing diversity of materials to be processed — some of them valuable or particularly heat-sensitive — as well as increasingly demanding aesthetic and dimensional requirements.
These technological challenges are accompanied by a strong industrial requirement: ensuring consistent and highly repeatable quality, including for large production runs, while integrating laser processes into automated production lines.
In this context, femtosecond laser technology offers a particularly relevant solution. Its non-contact nature and extremely low thermal input make it possible to machine fragile or high-value materials with a high degree of precision, while minimizing the risk of deformation or damage to the part.
Could you tell us about a recent laser project, innovation or application that you are particularly proud of?
Rather than highlighting a single project, we would like to emphasize a broader development that we are particularly proud of: our ability to meet ever-increasing precision requirements, down to the micron and even submicron scale.
Laser turning is a great example. The principle involves rotating the part while the laser removes material, without any mechanical contact. There is therefore no cutting force and no tool wear, making it possible to manufacture extremely fine parts without deforming them, including parts made from very hard materials or materials that are difficult — or even impossible — to machine mechanically, such as certain amorphous alloys.
In watchmaking, this technology opens the way to manufacturing axes and pivots with a level of fineness that is difficult to achieve using conventional machining processes.
Beyond the ability to achieve extremely high precision, however, the key challenge lies in repeatability. We are now able to maintain tolerances of ±1 µm over long production runs, rather than only on a few prototypes. For us, this is a true indicator of expertise: consistently maintaining this level of precision, part after part.
The same level of precision is also required in other sectors, particularly electronic and photonic circuits, where miniaturization requires materials to be structured with ever-increasing fineness.
What does your membership of the Club Laser et Procédés bring you on a day-to-day basis?
Our membership of the Club Laser et Procédés enables us to remain connected to an ecosystem of experts, suppliers and users of industrial laser technologies.
It facilitates technical exchanges between peers, technology and regulatory monitoring, as well as the identification of collaboration opportunities and new markets for our solutions.
In an industry where technologies are evolving rapidly, these exchanges are a real asset, allowing us to share knowledge and experience and better anticipate the needs of industrial customers.
In your view, why is it important today to be part of a network such as the Club Laser et Procédés?
Laser technologies are advancing rapidly across many different areas: new laser sources, new materials, new applications and new processes.
No company, however specialized, can monitor and master all of these developments on its own. A network such as the Club Laser et Procédés makes it possible to pool knowledge, compare feedback and experience between industrial companies and research laboratories, and foster collaboration.
It also helps give the French and European laser industry a level of visibility and influence that it would not have as a collection of individual players. This collective dynamic is essential for supporting innovation and strengthening the competitiveness of the laser ecosystem.
How do you see laser technologies and their industrial applications evolving over the next few years?
Several trends are emerging.
First, we will see increasingly powerful laser sources, enabling significant productivity gains and allowing processes to be industrialized on a larger scale.
Automation and the integration of laser processes into production lines will also continue to advance, with increasingly sophisticated software control and greater capabilities to monitor and adapt processes.
Applications are also likely to expand to new materials and new industries. The medical, electronics and defense sectors in particular face growing challenges related to component miniaturization and reliability, areas in which laser technologies can provide significant added value.
Finally, process efficiency will become increasingly important. Laser technology can help reduce material waste and the use of consumables compared with certain traditional machining processes. This ability to manufacture with greater precision and efficiency will be an important asset for the industry of tomorrow.
Ever-finer precision, increasingly automated processes and applications expanding into new materials and industries: LASEA perfectly illustrates the potential of femtosecond laser technology to drive the evolution of industrial micromachining. A big thank you to the LASEA team for sharing their expertise, achievements and vision of the future of laser technologies.
>> Want to find out more? Discover LASEA in our member directory and explore its expertise and range of laser solutions.
