From 1988 to 2000, inpro made a decisive contribution to the introduction of high-performance, solid-state lasers in automotive production. The multi-faceted work for the transfer of the latest scientific and technical knowledge to industrial applications included the development process, the development of new beam sources and beam guidance systems, as well as automated process control. inpro used the first proper solid-state laser, becoming the driving force behind the development of systems with average output power in the kilowatt range.
The transfer of inpro’s staff to partner companies was instrumental in the broad adoption of solid-state laser beam welding, which became widespread in mass production in the 1990s. Today, it allows the production of vehicles with the highest quality, improved safety and enhanced comfort.
The relevance of innovation is also shown by the success of the companies involved. HAAS Laser, a company acquired by the world’s leading machine tool manufacturer, TRUMPF, was incorporated as an implementing partner in the development of solid-state laser beam welding at inpro. In addition, several companies have emerged in and around Berlin in conjunction with inpro’s work. These include HIGHYAG Lasertechnologie GmbH, Photon Laser Engineering GmbH, Scansonic IPT GmbH and SIKORA GmbH, which operate successfully and have developed numerous highly qualified jobs to provide important components and services for the automotive industry.
„Thanks to its work and achievements in the field of laser technology, inpro can proudly claim to have significantly advanced the global implementation of high-power laser systems in automobile production. Based on delivered innovations and the need to implement them, several project team members established their own company and successfully went to market, for example, Photon AG with 200 employees.“