Controllable. Repeatable. Scalable. Kurtz Ersa Flying Ray® S

Highly functional due to vertically incident Laser Beams

In regulated and safety-critical applications, every component must be produced reliably. A good result alone is not enough. Quality must be reproducible – regardless of where on the circuit board the component is manufactured.

That is precisely why we at Kurtz Ersa have developed the Flying Ray® S. Its innovative technology guides the laser across the powder bed in such a way that the beam always strikes at the same angle. This ensures consistent conditions across the entire build area – from the centre to the edge.

Build-job Preparation, Process Monitoring and Reporting

Fuse-IQ: exposure planning for Flying Ray®

Fuse-IQ is the core of build-job preparation. Intelligent algorithms are used to create the exposure plan. Preparation considers not only part geometry, but also the physical behaviour of the material being processed and the relevant machine components. The precise sequence of the entire build process is therefore defined before the machine starts. 

The job report documents information about the build job, the machine, the software versions and the parameter set used. The documented manufacturing conditions can be traced later.

The Exposure follows the Plan

For the powder to melt uniformly, the position and spacing of the exposure lines must be correct. In a stress test, Flying Ray® S achieves a positioning accuracy of ±10 μm, even at high scan speeds and during acceleration and deceleration. Line patterns in different orientations and dynamic motion sequences were tested.

The rigid Pivot Arm design, combined with high-performance drives, enables an optimised distribution of moving mass. The control system coordinates the motors involved and synchronises laser switching with the motion. This ensures that every exposure starts and ends at the intended point.

High Density and Low Variation

For predictable manufacturing, parts must achieve comparable properties at different positions on the build plate. A recent test shows positive results in the density analyses: light-microscope images of polished cross-sections show only minor differences between the positions examined in the x and y directions. All measurements in this test are above 99.97 % in relative density. This low variation is an important prerequisite for qualifying applications and repeating build jobs with consistent quality.