Laser surface structuring of additive manufactured optics

Additive Manufacturing technologies, also known as 3D printing, are a proven method to offer new possibilities for the production of highly complex parts. One new interesting field of application is the 3D printing of optical elements. However, the final functional optical performance, e.g. the grade of transmission or reflection of such optics, highly depends on the surface quality and structure, respectively. Therefore, in most cases a post-process treatment for the layer-wise printed optics is necessary to smoothen, shape or structure the surface to fit the final application demands. Laser surface structuring offers a highly flexible, sustainable and automatable post-processing possibility. Within this paper, we will show two different laser surface structuring technologies. Firstly, the structuring of printed polymer optics using a self-made low-cost diode laser structuring module is presented. The second methods shows direct laser structuring of printed metal optics using a modern and highly flexible ultra-short pulsed laser source. Finally, the potential of the laser induced surface structure to influence the reflection behaviour of the surface is demonstrated.