Gravity and lasers pull glass into complex shapes

The technique, developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, directs a laser beam over glass placed in an oven which is pre-heated to just below the temperature at which glass begins to melt.

The glass softens at the points heated by the laser and gravity bends the material into the desired shape. Once the desired form has been achieved, the laser is switched off and the glass solidifies. The result is a shape with bends featuring small radii, waves and round protrusions.

At the back end of the process geometrical data is used to define the sequence of where, when and for how long the material will be heated, as well as to create the program that will control the laser beam. According to Fraunhofer, this factors in options to have the laser momentarily stop, heat a single point multiple times or change the intensity of the beam.

“Thanks to our technique, manufacturers have a cost-effective way of producing extremely customised glass objects in small batches or even as one-offs,” said Fraunhofer IWM scientist Tobias Rist.