Blue laser maker NUBURU enters medical device market

NUBURU Inc of Centennial, CO, USA — which was founded in 2015 and develops and manufactures high-power industrial blue lasers — has received a purchase order for its BlueScan solution from Blueacre Technology of Dundalk, Ireland (which was founded in 2005 to provide contract manufacturing solutions to the medical device industry). The BL laser will be integrated by Blueacre with scan head optics to produce a versatile welding system for the manufacture of precision medical devices.

The order is an extension of the NUBURU’s market focus on the electric vehicle (EV) industry, next-generation computers, consumer electronics and communication (3C) device manufacturing, and medical devices. The blue laser addresses the need for a non-contact, high-speed process with low-to-no defects for manufacturing batteries and electric vehicles by replacing slower methods like ultrasonic and resistance welding, which represent multi-billion-dollar equipment spent today due to their high cost of operations. It can work with copper, aluminium, titanium and stainless steel, facilitate the manufacture of EV batteries, and address the tens of thousands of welds in an electric vehicle.

“Blue wavelength light is absorbed better by metals than infra-red sources. Blue, therefore, reduces the heat input into the material, reducing the risk of heat damage to critical medical components,” says Blueacre’s managing director & owner David Gillen. “We are excited to add blue lasers to our range of equipment,” he adds.

“Our focus remains on providing world-class solutions to our customers’ most challenging processes. These solutions are critical when welding disparate materials in a precision environment like medical device manufacturing,” says NUBURU’s CEO Brian Knaley. “Blueacre will prove to be a world-class partner in this important market segment of medical device manufacturing, which is indicatively worth $6bn according to AMPOWER 2022.”

Blueacre’s purchase order for the BlueScan solution follows a successful Phase II contract award by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) to advance blue laser power transmission technology as a unique solution to dramatically reduce the size and weight of the equipment needed for Lunar and Martian applications.