Researchers have unveiled multi-kilowatt lasers that can cut thick steel, drill rock and could transform mining and the heavy industry.
Researchers in Germany have revealed that laser technology is entering a new era in which multi-kilowatt power lasers could significantly reshape manufacturing, as well as infrastructure and energy systems.
Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology experts will explain how ultrashort pulse and continuous wave lasers are quickly advancing into the multi-kilowatt range at the coming AKL’26 International Laser Technology Congress.Taking place in Aachen between April 22 and 24, the event is set to bring together laser manufacturers and users from multiple sectors. This year’s edition will place a strong focus on multi-kilowatt laser technologies.“The average power of USP lasers is now reaching double-digit kilowatt levels thanks to developments within the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Advanced Photon Sources ,” Jochen Stollenwerk, PhD, Fraunhofer ILT acting director, said. Meanwhile, cw lasers already achieve outputs of several hundred kilowatts.The rise of multi-kW lasersSuch massive power levels unlock applications that were previously out of reach. In sectors like tunneling, mining and deep drilling, high-power lasers could help break rock and accelerate excavation processes. In shipbuilding and heavy engineering, they could enable faster and more precise cutting and joining of thick, high-strength materials. “These processes will deliver a major efficiency boost in laser material processing,” Stollenwerk continued. At the same time, laser-based technologies could also be utilized for maintaining rail networks and pipelines. For Hagen Zimmer, laser technology CEO at TRUMPF SE + Co. KG, a leading global high-tech company, this transition represents more than just incremental progress. He, instead, considers the growing laser adoption as a critical strategic moment. “Many things that were previously deemed unfeasible are now becoming reality,” Zimmer explained. The shift is also fueled by declining costs as lasers become more accessible. Industrial lasers exceeding 50 kilowatts are already in use, with those above one hundred kilowatts now within reach. Zimer believes this pushes the industry toward a strategic inflection point. According to him, the shift could unlock new photonics markets worth hundreds of billions of euros.“When laser technology moves into new dimensions – drilling thousands of holes in a single shot, functionalizing square meters of surfaces per minute, or precisely cutting and joining centimeter-thick steel – it will also open up entirely new markets,” Stollenwerk added.Breaking barriersHigh-energy laser systems, such as diode-pumped solid-state lasers , have emerged as critical tools for future fusion power plants. The ability to deliver high pulse energy with precision makes the ideal for driving fusion reactions, as well as generating secondary radiation sources like extreme ultraviolet and X-rays. However, increasing laser power alone isn’t enough. Better process control is just as important. Researchers are now combining high-power lasers with AI-assisted strategies, optical neural networks, and precision beam shaping. These systems can tailor laser profiles into complex three-dimensional patterns, and enable techniques like optical stamping, where entire surfaces are processed in a single shot instead of line-by-line scanning.“Laser material processing will reach a much higher level of productivity in the future,” Stollenwerk noted. “It is clear that AI and other computational methods will play a central role.”Sönke Vogel, PhD, Fraunhofer ILT head of 3D structuring stated that this approach can accelerate machining speeds by up to five times. “The unique aspect of optical stamping is the combination of speed, precision, and flexibility,” he said.To support this, the institute has come up with new hardware, including a planar galvanometer scanner for ultra-fast, high-precision beam steering. It is optimized for multi-beam configurations and can outperform conventional scanners in both speed and accuracy.Other innovations include burst-mode laser operation, where sequences of pulses improve material removal efficiency while minimizing heat damage, and precise control of pulse duration to fine-tune energy delivery.The experts believe laser technology is only now entering its most transformative phase. “The laser is far from fully explored,” Constantin Häfner, PhD, a researcher at ILT, concluded in a press release. “On the contrary – 60 years after its invention, it is only now truly getting started.
Germany Heavy Industry Industrial Automation Infrastructure Inventions And Machines Laser Technology Material Processing Mining Physics
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