Laser machining: contactless micrometre precision, on all your materials
Laser drilling, laser surface texturing, laser micro-cutting: IREPA LASER develops bespoke laser machining processes for the most demanding industrial applications.
Laser machining where conventional processes reach their limits
Laser machining removes material by vaporisation or sublimation, without contact with the part. This fundamental principle opens up possibilities that traditional processes cannot offer: access to areas inaccessible to a mechanical tool, work on fragile or sensitive materials, production of complex geometries on a micrometre scale, and no tool wear, which guarantees reproducibility.
Compared with mechanical machining, there is no cutting force, no deformation under load and no contamination from cutting fluids. Compared with EDM, the laser works on all materials, including non-conductive ones. Compared with chemical processes, it is local, precise and digitally controllable.
IREPA LASER develops bespoke laser machining processes, adapted to your material, your geometry and your production constraints. Our teams do not impose standard equipment: they identify the laser technology best suited to your application, whether it is available in our facilities or we look for it at another supplier.
And if it is not available in our facilities, we work with partners to access the right technology.
Three processes for all your applications
IREPA LASER develops bespoke laser machining processes, adapted to your material, your geometry and your production constraints. Our teams do not impose standard equipment: they identify the laser technology best suited to your application, whether it is available in our facilities or on your own machines.
Laser drilling
Production of holes from a few microns to several hundred microns in diameter, in any type of material and thickness.
Applications: cooling of aerospace components (shaped holes), technical filters, medical components, precision parts
Laser surface texturing
Controlled modification of surface topography to give it functional properties: improved adhesive bonding, wettability management, modification of tribological behaviour. Laser texturing creates micro- and nano-structures on the surface without contact or tooling, with complete pattern-to-pattern reproducibility.
Applications: anti-icing surfaces, adhesion treatment prior to assembly, surfaces with specific optical properties.
Laser micro-cutting
High-precision cutting of thin parts and complex geometries, with no mechanical stress or contamination. Femtosecond lasers enable cutting with no thermal effect on the part.
Applications: watch parts, medical implants, thin films for electronics, optical components
High performance even on the most difficult materials
One of the major strengths of laser machining is its performance with materials that conventional processes cannot handle, or cannot handle easily. Conductive or not, hard or brittle, heat-sensitive or not: the choice of laser type and parameters makes it possible to work on almost all industrial materials.
- Metals and alloys (steel, titanium, nickel…)
- Engineering polymers
- Ceramics
- Composites (CFRP, CMC…)
- Glass and sensitive materials
Our expertise guarantees precision, surface quality and functional performance by finely adapting laser parameters to each material.
Our approach:
In laser machining, the choice of laser source is as decisive as the parameter settings. A nanosecond, picosecond or femtosecond laser does not produce the same effects on the material, does not achieve the same levels of precision and is not suited to the same materials.
IREPA LASER has mastered these different technologies and helps you identify the one best suited to your application, with no equipment bias
In practical terms, this means:
- Identifying the laser technology best suited to your application (short pulses, ultrashort pulses, wavelength…)
- Precisely adjusting parameters to achieve your objectives (quality, precision, repeatability)
- Repeatability and cost
You benefit from:
- A solution optimised for your part, your material and your specifications
- Better control of processes (quality, tolerances, surface finish)
Our approach is not limited to our own equipment.
We can source the technology from partners (laser suppliers, machine manufacturers).
The aim: to enable you to fully exploit the potential of the laser, with a solution perfectly suited to your industrial reality.
Already equipped with the technology?
We can also work directly in your industrial environment.
- Process optimisation on your equipment
- Recommendations on existing machines and the process environment
Our achievements in laser machining
Drilling micro effusion holes in aerospace parts, surface texturing for friction control in the energy sector, laser micro-cutting of watch components: this is how our laser machining processes meet requirements that conventional technologies cannot handle.
Comprehensive support for your laser machining projects
Every laser machining project begins with a precise definition of the surface property to be achieved. Here is our typical process.
Feasibility study and choice of laser parameters
Development and optimisation of patterns and textures
Trials and prototypes on real parts
Industrialisation and process transfer
Quality control and surface validation
The sectors we support
Laser machining applies to every sector where micrometre precision, geometric complexity or material sensitivity make conventional processes inadequate.
Aerospace & Space
- Drilling of turbines and blades
- Anti-icing texturing
- Cutting of ceramic matrix composites
Energy
- Wettability modification
Electronics
- Via drilling
- Cutting of technical micro-components and circuits
Watchmaking, Jewellery, Luxury
- Ruby drilling
- Dial decoration, aesthetic effects
- Cutting of movement components
Aerospace & Space
- Drilling,
- Lightweighting,
- Engine components
Energy
- Solar cells
- Technical components
Electronics
- Injection moulding
- Lighting
- Technical components
Watchmaking, Jewellery, Luxury
- Laser micro-cutting
- Surface effects
- Design
Training in laser machining
The new generation of pulsed lasers delivers performance that can place laser engraving in a strong position compared with traditional tools. Many applications are already operational in industry, particularly in watchmaking and even for the manufacture of injection moulds or dies
Our training courses enable you to:
- Be able to adapt settings according to the laser technology.
- Apply the basic principles of laser engraving and micro-machining.
- Master the influence of operating parameters.
- Acquire a process optimisation methodology.
Our training course aims to give you the skills to set up and optimise your engraving or micro-machining processes.
Your questions about laser machining
It is a subtractive manufacturing process that removes material by vaporisation or sublimation using a laser beam.
Micrometre precision, no contact, flexibility in materials and geometries, low thermal impact.
Metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, glass…
In the order of a micron, depending on the technology used.
Yes, with automated processes that guarantee repeatability and productivity.
Need extreme precision for your parts or surfaces?
Let us work together to identify the laser machining solution best suited to your industrial challenges.
