II‐VI Incorporated (Nasdaq: IIVI), a leading provider of laser technologies for materials processing, today announced the introduction of its advanced L60 laser tool for precision shaping of complex profiles in superhard materials including polycrystalline diamond (PCD), polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC), synthetic diamond, and reaction-bonded ceramics, allowing II-VI to capitalize on emerging industrial applications.

II-VI’s L60 laser tool relies on a II-VI proprietary patent-pending process to shape profiles in polycrystalline and single-crystal diamond more cost-effectively than existing electrical-discharge machining (EDM) methods. As the diamond content increases in industrial products, EDM performance decreases due to lower electrical conductivity, and laser processing efficiencies become far more appealing. For PCD parts with ultrathin diamond layers, laser tools such as II-VI’s, which achieve surface-lapping precision down to ten microns, are the only option to achieve high processing yields.

“Our L60 laser tool is so efficient and precise that it can outperform several EDM tools combined. The lower processing cost, higher quality, and yield that we can achieve to produce and refurbish diamond-based industrial products are enabling a broader range of applications for diamond and accelerating the demand for our laser tools,” said Dr. Karlheinz Gulden, Senior Vice President, Laser Devices and Systems Business Unit. “The L60 laser tool complements our field-proven L45 PCD laser tool for disk surface finishing that we introduced in 2020. The L45 laser tools in the field have been lapping PCD diamond nonstop for months, achieving 100% first-pass production yields against challenging requirements. The processing consistency of our L45 laser tools is usually what most impresses our customers and has been a deciding factor in some recent design wins.”

The L45 and L60 laser tools are easy to program through an intuitive graphical user interface. They can run continuously unattended, thanks to an array of embedded sensors and the eMicro laser processing software, which together enable a fully automatic process, including loading, measuring, lapping, inspecting, unloading, and data logging. The tools meet CE and U.S. FDA safety regulations.