Generative Manufacturing of Optical, Thermal and Structural Components (GROTESK)

In order to demonstrate the potential of generatively manufactured optomechanics for function-integrated systems, the optomechanical components required for a solid-state laser system are manufactured in a polymer-based 3D printing process and their properties are characterized.

The book describes and explains the results of the collaborative project Generative Manufacturing of Optical, Thermal and Structural Components over the last three years. The overall goal is the development of a system concept based on generative manufacturing for integrated optical and optomechanical systems. Different developed generative manufacturing processes for glass and specially designed metal powders have been implemented in a single fabrication set up enabling multi-material manufacturing of optical components and systems. The main focus of the project is split into several topics: simulation, design, material engineering, process engineering, post-processing and component evaluation. The simulation of the glass printing process will be structured iteratively with a comparison of the experimental results in order to be able to finally make a prediction of the necessary parameter sizes for defined components. A metal material with similar thermal conductivity and thermal expansion properties to glass or laser-active crystals has been developed iteratively over the course of the project to enable direct printing onto these materials. In order to demonstrate the potential of generatively manufactured optomechanics for function-integrated systems, the optomechanical components required for a solid-state laser system are manufactured in a polymer-based 3D printing process and their properties are characterized. All these individual projects of the overall network are combined in the system concept.