The world's smartest polygon scanner
What is a polygon scanner?
In contrast to the galvo scanner with an oscillating mirror, the laser beam deflection in the polygon scanner is handled by a rapidly rotating wheel with several successively acting mirror surfaces. Since the seventies, this technology has shown its efficiency in laser printers.
LIDAR systems also use this interesting technique. The fast rotating wheel leads to an extremely fast deflection of the laser radiation. Depending on the number of mirror surfaces per wheel and the number of revolutions, a certain line frequency results.
The angular velocity of the beam is thus fixed. Depending on the focal length of the optics used, a certain deflection width results and thus a certain deflection speed. The optics thus determine the minimum focus size and the maximum deflection speed.
With the polygon scanner, the entire scan line is always scanned. This is advantageous for large-area irradiation. If only individual areas of a larger surface are to be irradiated, the polygon scanner is rather unsuitable. Due to the edges in the polygon wheel, at which the laser beam must be switched off, the polygon scanner achieves only a certain maximum degree of utilization.
The larger the usable beam diameter in relation to the mirror length, the smaller the degree of utilization for the laser. This can be compensated by a special control option for the laser (burst) or by using 2 parallel laser beams (USP laser).
Polygon scanners are not yet used that often in materials processing. This is also due to the fact that the laser powers to be implemented so far did not necessarily require the ultra-fast deflection. But the available laser powers are continuously increasing!
In the ns range as well as in the UKP range, previous scanning technologies are already reaching their limits. And for the use of low-cost cw lasers, polygon scanners open up completely new fields of application such as ablation cutting, polishing and cleaning. With a fast external beam circuit, it is even possible to perform high-resolution structuring.
So the time of the polygon scanner has just begun. If you want to work not only at 30 m/s but rather at 300 m/s and have the necessary laser power for your process, you should think about polygon scanners. MOEWE is the ideal partner with innovative and smart technology.
Patented design and real-time data processing
Double reflection eliminates the fluctuations of the reflection point as a fundamental problem of polygon mirrors. In connection with a time marker and an extremely fast correction of manufacturing tolerances by an integrated FPGA (200 MHz) the polygon scanner system of MOEWE is extremely accurate.
• Patented special optical design for minimal distortion
• Patented real-time data processing through FPGA
Large clear aperture
The free aperture of 30 mm, which is extremely large for a compact polygon scanner with a mass of only 13 kg, allows the use of large laser beam diameters. Thus, very small focus diameters can be achieved. With a focal length of 270 mm, approx. 25 µm are obtained for a single-mode fiber laser in the NIR wavelength range at a scan length of 160 mm. Due to the large beam diameter and because all reflective surfaces only come into contact with moving beams, extremely high laser powers of > 5 kW can be deflected with the MOEWE polygon scanner. With a long focal length of 1,900 mm, scanning lengths of 1,500 mm can be achieved. The focus diameter is then still about 180 µm.
• Size: 30 mm
• Smallest focus spot diameter < 10 µm
• Suitable for high power lasers > 5 KW
Scanning speed > 1,000 m/s possible
The scanning speed of polygon scanners is about 30 times higher than that of galvo scanners. With a focal length of 420 mm our MOEWE polygon scanner system reaches a speed of 1,000 m/s at a line frequency of 1,300 Hz. Especially for raster processing, which is necessary anyway, and for continuous area irradiation, the benefit of a polygon scanner is obvious. With the increasing power of ultra-short pulse lasers, ultra-fast beam deflection with polygon scanners is useful to achieve the high productivity that such lasers allow, even at high quality. USP lasers with a single pulse frequency of > 10 MHz can still be precisely controlled with our device. In the laboratory the MOEWE polygon scanner system has already controlled a laser with 60 MHz. This leads to extremely fast machining processes.
• Significant time saving
• Efficient cost reduction
• Larger production volumes
MOEWE Optical Solutions GmbH is your reliable partner for high-quality industrial polygon mirror scanners. These scanners are characterized by a large aperture, compact design and high optical robustness. Due to the full digitalisation of the device, high accuracy and real-time integration into external moving coordinate systems can be offered. Please direct your concrete inquiry to us! We will be glad to help you.
different polygon scanner systems for many applications
PM 100
Application: Surface treatment, Modification, Cleaning, Cutting
Special feature: Suitable for extremely high laser power, 10.6 µm option
Power range: Power > 1 kW
Aperture: 30 mm
Processing mode: CW + pulsed + ultra short pulsed
More information: Data sheets
PM 300
Application: universal (Marking, Microstructuring, Micromachining, LIFT, …)
Special feature: UV and VIS option, very good focusability, high precision option, combination with DLIP
Power range: Power < 1 kW
Aperture: 30 mm
Processing mode: CW + pulsed + ultra short pulsed
More information: Data sheets
PM 600
Application: 2,5 D Engraving
Special feature: Integrated gray value processing by means of real-time control
Power range: Power < 1 kW
Aperture: 30 mm
Processing regime: pulsed + ultra short pulsed
More information: Data sheets
PM 10 Mini
Application: universal (Marking, Microstructuring, Micromachining, LIFT, …)
Special feature: Small, compact, integrated control unit
Power range: Power < 1 kW
Aperture: 10 mm
Processing mode: CW + pulsed + ultra short pulsed
More information: Data sheets
PM Unit
Application: universal, OEM (LIDAR, Cleaning, Measurements)
Special feature: Polygon wheel can be flexibly designed
Power range: Customer-specific, diameter up to 90 mm
Aperture: up to 20 mm
Processing mode: CW + pulsed + ultra short pulsed
More information: Data sheets
News
OPIE Japan Pacifico Yokohama | 23.04. - 25.04.2025
MOEWE as sponsor of the 14th International Summer School of Fraunhofer IWS & TU Dresden
LASER World of PHOTONICS in Munich, Germany | 24.06.2025– 27.06.2025
We will once again be attending Laser World of Photonics in Munich. Visit us from June 24 – 27, 2025 at our booth 242, hall A3 to experience our polygon scanner live! Find more information about the exhibition here.
8. UKP Workshop Ultrafast Laser Technology | Aachen, Germany | 08. - 09.04.2025
Our head of research & devolopment Dr. Florian Rößler will attend the UKP Workshop in Aachen. He will give a lecture on the topic of Ultra-fast and precise micro texturing of two and three-dimensional surfaces on 08.04.2025 12:00 -12:30.
For more information click here.
SPIE. Photonics West in San Francisco, USA | 28.01.2025– 30.01.2025
We will once again be attending SPIE. Photonics West in San Francisco. Visit us from January 28 – 30, 2025 at our booth 4205-04 in the German Pavilion to experience our polygon scanner live!
Our Head of Research and Development Dr. Florian Rößler will also give a presentation on January 29, 2025, from 13:50 – 14:10. Location: Moscone Center, Room 212 (Level 2 South). For more information click here.
Successful project result
Thanks to a collaboration between MOEWE, the Mittweida-based company ACSYS Lasertechnik GmbH and the Laserinstitut Hochschule Mittweida, a world first has been created as part of the Holumi 3D (GRAVOmer-Verbund) project: the application of fast laser micro-engraving with a polygon scanner in an industrial machine. Click here for more information.
HLH-funk project Kick-off
Under the leadership of MOEWE, the project is being carried out together with ACSYS Lasertechnik GmbH, the Laserinstitut Hochschule Mittweida and Fusion Bionic. HLH-funk combines DLIP and polygon scanner technologies. This can significantly increase the productivity of laser structuring processes! The project paves the way for the economical, industry-compatible production of microstructured functional surfaces for a wide range of applications. We are very pleased about the cooperation.
MOEWE opens branch office in Dresden
To further strengthen our collaboration with Fusion Bionic on current and new projects, we recently opened an office at the Fusion Bionic site in Dresden. We are delighted about this step and the in-depth and continuous exchange on innovative approaches in laser processing. The picture shows our Head of Research and Development, Dr. Florian Rößler, together with Fusion Bionic CTO Sabri Alamri.
New speed record in laser cleaning
IPG Laser GmbH is a manufacturer of cleaning lasers. These have an enormously high pulse power of greater than one megawatt and a square process spot. Often they are guided by hand. On the initiative of MOEWE, IPG has now for the first time realized such a laser with a power of 6 / 3 kW and tailored it to the requirements of a fast polygon scanner. In particular, a special burst regime allows the entire laser beam power of 3 kW to be used in the process, which is otherwise not possible. With the PM 100, MOEWE is the only company worldwide to offer a polygon scanner for such a high laser power. SITA Messtechnik GmbH can demonstrate the cleaning effect with its measuring device. Click the button to read further.
Aperam Ventures invests in Moewe Optical Solutions GmbH
Aperam, a global player in stainless steel, electrical steel and specialty steel, has invested in our company, Moewe Optical Solutions GmbH, since 2021. Aperam supports bold founders and high-performing teams with its venture capital fund “Aperam Ventures”.
As a strategic investor, Aperam looks for companies that can simultaneously support the growth trajectory of Aperam itself, in addition to building meaningful and impactful relationships with exceptional entrepreneurs.
MOEWE RealtimeSync-Technology
In collaboration with Laserinstitut Hochschule Mittweida and our partner Edgewave GmbH, we were able to show for the first time, the increase of speed during laser processing, through the intelligent linking of polygon scanners.
To do so, we invented and patented a special controlling system, having the scanners work perfectly in tune with each other.
Fusion Bionic and MOEWE initiate closer collaboration
Fusion Bionic, a spin-off from Fraunhofer IWS, is happy to announce the start of a strategic cooperation with MOEWE Optical Solutions GmbH, a leading manufacturer of polygon-based laser microprocessing systems.
Both companies are joining forces to enable ultra-high-speed systems for surface processing and functionalization.
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