before entering the lab visitors are reminded of the technology’s power with signs that read “Danger” and advise anyone stepping into the lab to put on protective goggles to shield their eyes from the lasers’ intense light.
Inside the lab, the fibers, which are about the size of angel hair pasta, are strategically coiled on tables and surrounded by post-it warnings. The light inside the small fibers can deliver enough power to manufacture LED screens, wafers for computer electronics, or laser defense equipment.
“This technology enables you to make the brightest lasers commercially available,” Amaya says, “and by brightness we mean power and the ability to tightly focus it.”
According to Amaya, the goal of the company is to provide manufacturers with “more watts per dollar” than any other fiber optic laser on the market.
“Our competitive advantage is purely technological performance,” he says. “More power means faster processing speed or the ability to process new materials that weren’t possible to process by traditional means.”
Fortunately for Arbor Photonics, the need for faster and more precise manufacturing technology will only continue to expand, Amaya says.
“As things get smaller your processes need to adjust,” he says. “If you pick up your iPhone for example every component in your iPhone is touched by a laser at some point in the manufacturing process.”