Processing — Laser Surface Treatment & Digital Twin 

Applied Technologies

1. Laser Polishing of 3D-Printed Surfaces
A focused laser beam is scanned across the surface of an FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) 3D-printed part, locally melting and reflowing the polymer at the ridge lines left by the printing process. This smooths out the stair-stepped layer lines without requiring chemical post-processing or mechanical sanding, producing a smoother finish while preserving the part's underlying geometry.

2. Laser Shock Peening (LSP)
A high-intensity pulsed laser is fired at a metal surface through a thin water confinement layer, which traps the laser-induced plasma expansion and converts it into a shockwave that propagates into the material. This induces beneficial compressive residual stress near the surface, improving fatigue life and resistance to crack initiation — without the heat-affected zone associated with conventional thermal treatments. In our setup, the process is delivered via a cobot-mounted laser head, enabling treatment of curved or complex surfaces.

3. Digital Twin
A virtual replica of the physical robot and workpiece is maintained in real time, synchronized bidirectionally with the physical process: sensor and position feedback from the real system update the virtual model, while commands can be simulated and validated in the virtual environment before being sent back to the physical robot. This allows process parameters and tool paths to be tested, monitored, and refined without interrupting or risking the actual laser treatment process.