Application possibilities of data science in laser technology

Speaker of the [R] Kenntnis-Tage 2016: Julia Gleixner | TRUMPF Laser GmbH

The solid-state lasers of TRUMPF Laser are used for machining materials in various areas – from welding car bodies to cutting stents to drilling minute holes for the production of solar cells. These are just some of the diverse application possibilities. In any case our customers have to be able to trust in the reliable performance of the lasers.

With these highly complex devices, however, maintenances and unplanned machine failures unfortunately cannot always be prevented. Therefore, numerous sensors deliver measured values in order to monitor the devices and a reporting system records the behavior of the laser. By means of this data and sufficient domain knowledge it is possible to develop an algorithm which identifies other lasers with a specific behavior at an early stage. For this, the programming language R is used.

In cooperation with eoda, TRUMPF is developing a gantry solution which enables not only an ad-hoc analysis of single lasers but also a cyclic and automated execution of algorithms for identifying diverse circumstances for any number of devices. The results of the algorithms, which are also displayed in the gantry, make it possible to take measures for preventing failures early on and check their effectiveness afterwards. This procedure will be demonstrated with algorithms that have already been implemented.