Efficiency determines competitiveness in industrial manufacturing. If you want to achieve higher quality, maximum precision, and increased process speed in laser material processing, our technology — adaptive dynamic beam shaping for industrial laser processing — is a decisive lever.
With ZWOBBEL®, ROBUST AO provides a ready-to-use technology that enables highly dynamic axial modulation. By specifically utilizing the Z-axis, the system “wobbles” with high precision and up to 100 times faster than conventional mechanical solutions. The piezoelectrically driven mirror enables extremely fast response times while maintaining a compact design. Thanks to its system compatibility, ZWOBBEL can be seamlessly integrated into existing laser architectures and specifications.
Your added value: expand the process window of your system, increase productivity and processing quality, and simultaneously reduce energy consumption. The result is lower operating costs and a measurable contribution to sustainable, resource-efficient production and greater efficiency in laser material processing.
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Weitere InformationenROBUST AO was founded in 2020 as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF). The team’s shared passion is to create innovative methods that address technical problems and challenges in laser material processing. Based on our technology, dynamic beam shaping for high-power lasers, and the fastest 3D laser machining is enabled. This not only increases production quality and speed but also reduces energy consumption due to shorter processing times.
As a result, ROBUST AO’s solution is more energy-efficient and resource-saving than traditional methods.
Areas of application with measurable added value — where dynamic beam shaping delivers significant advantages:
Dynamic beam shaping addresses challenges in laser material processing — enabling the transformation from a passive beam to active process control:
POWER-RELATED CHALLENGES IN LASER MATERIAL PROCESSING
Industrial fiber lasers deliver high beam quality — but typically with a static intensity distribution (Gaussian, Top-Hat). At multi-kW power levels, this often leads to:
• Excessive intensity peaks in the center
• Unstable keyhole dynamics
• Spatter and pore formation
• Narrow process window
• Low tolerance to material variations
Pure power control is not sufficient — spatial energy distribution is the decisive factor. The ability to adapt laser intensity is our USP.
THE SOLUTION FOR LASER PROCESSING
Dynamic beam shaping expands the process parameter space:
Process = f (P, v, z, I (r,t))
In addition to laser power P, feed rate v, and focal position z, the time-dependent intensity distribution I(r,t) is actively controlled.
Capabilities include:
• Radial energy redistribution
• Center/ring modulation
• Process-phase-dependent beam profiles
• Dynamic adaptation during processing
This enables active control of the laser–material interaction.
Conventional focus-shifting systems are generally based on mechanical movements, which can limit the modulation frequency compared to optical beam-shaping methods. The following comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of dynamic beam shaping, lens focus shifting, and deformable mirror systems clearly illustrates how many benefits dynamic focus adaptation provides:
ZWOBBEL® dynamically modulates the laser focus along the Z-axis using a compact mirror with piezo-based actuation, enabling exceptionally fast focus adjustment and thereby improving cut quality and process speed in high-power laser systems. ZWOBBEL® is available for the wavelengths UV, GREEN+IR, IR, 2MICRON, and CO2:
ZWOBBEL DBS® extends the ZWOBBEL principle into an integrated 3D scanning system. By combining the ZWOBBEL focus unit with a 2D deflector, the laser beam can be positioned not only axially but also laterally. This creates a flexible solution for complex 3D processing applications such as additive manufacturing, micromachining, or highly dynamic laser welding.
(Proven in many applications already)
ROBUST AO GmbH (Robust Adaptive Optics) develops and markets, under the ZWOBBEL® brand, an innovative high-speed laser focusing solution that delivers decisive added value compared to conventional laser focus shifting: the typically very slow focusing speed in high-power laser processes is significantly improved.
In this way, we unlock the full potential of dynamic beam shaping.
• Designed for industrial multi-kW systems
• High optical damage threshold
• Low absorption at high power levels
• High modulation bandwidth (kHz range)
• Thermally stable design
• Integration into scan heads and processing optics
Dynamic beam shaping enables precise control of energy distribution and increases stability, speed, and quality.
The backbone of ROBUST AO’ innovations are highly skilled professionals.
Optimizing oscillation parameters such as oscillation frequency, amplitude, and phase requires experience with our ZWOBBEL technology. Let us illustrate this with an example: the optimization of a static spot in laser cutting depends on the material, imaging scale, laser power, and cutting speed. The use of dynamic beam shaping tools such as ZWOBBEL® technology shifts these parameters.
In this section, we showcase the possibilities within each application area through various publications and research results.
New articles on publications, white papers, use cases, success stories, press releases, and related content are continuously published here. Subscribe to our newsletter to be automatically informed whenever a new article becomes available, or follow Robust AO on LinkedIn for the latest updates.
Partnering with innovators and visionaries to advance adaptive optical solutions for a more sustainable and efficient future in laser material processing.
