Iradion’s Role in 3D Printing’s Laser Revolution

Additive manufacturing (AM) thrives on precision and reliability, especially as it moves from prototyping to full-scale production. Iradion Laser Inc., a Massachusetts-based company, is stepping into the 3D printing industry with its patented CERAMICORE CO₂ lasers, offering advanced solutions for polymer powder sintering and other applications. By enabling faster, more precise polymer powder sintering, Iradion wants to help manufacturers push the limits of what’s possible in industrial 3D printing.

In an interview with 3DPrint.com, Iradion executives Edward Revell and Robert Kloczkowski shared insights into how their ceramic core technology enables faster, more efficient, and precise 3D printing processes.

The duo says Iradion’s patented CERAMICORE technology replaces the traditional glass or metal tube designs used in CO₂ lasers with an inert ceramic core. This design hermetically seals the laser gas within a durable ceramic chamber, preventing contamination and gas leakage, which are common issues in conventional systems. As a result, Iradion’s lasers are more reliable, maintain power stability for longer periods, and require less maintenance, which are key advantages for demanding industrial applications like 3D printing.

“Our lasers are unique because the gas is sealed in ceramic, which eliminates contamination and leakage. This allows our systems to deliver consistent and precise beams, ideal for additive manufacturing,” points out Kloczkowski.

One of the first companies to adopt Iradion’s laser technology for polymer powder sintering was Nexa3D. Its flagship Quantum Laser Sintering machine, the QLS820, integrated four of Iradion’s Infinity i100W lasers to achieve remarkable speed and precision in 3D printed thermoplastic parts.

Nexa3D recently announced financial challenges and a scaling back of its operations while exploring opportunities to transition its technology and intellectual property. Despite this, the company was among the first to recognize the potential of integrating Iradion’s ceramic core CO₂ lasers into its Quantum Laser Sintering systems. This collaboration marked an essential initial step for Iradion into the 3D printing ecosystem, showcasing how its technology could enhance speed and precision in industrial applications.

“Nexa3D’s machines feature one of the largest work zones in the industry, which posed a challenge in maintaining precision and uniformity across such a large area. By integrating four of our Infinity i100W lasers, they overcame this hurdle. The multiple lasers and integrated galvo scanner optics overlap to ensure consistent, precise melting across the entire work zone. This setup not only enhances resolution but also enables larger and faster part production, which is difficult to achieve with traditional single-laser systems,” said Kloczkowski.

While AM is a core focus, Iradion’s lasers are used across various industries, including medical, automotive, packaging and converting, industrial processing and consumer goods. According to Kloczkowski, Iradion’s Sales and Marketing Manager, their CO₂ lasers excel in applications that require extreme precision and reliability. For example, lasers are widely used in the food and beverage industry to perforate plastic packaging, such as grape bags, to ensure proper airflow while maintaining freshness. They’re also employed to etch date codes on beverage bottles, trim plastic edges for medical and dental devices, and even perforate microwaveable food packaging to allow controlled steam release.

In the automotive sector, Iradion’s lasers are integrated into robotic systems to cut and trim interior components, such as liners and panels, with unparalleled accuracy.

“One of our customers uses our lasers to cut holes in bicycle helmets, ensuring not only precision but also consistency across every product,” added Kloczkowski.

In the dental industry, Iradion’s lasers are pivotal in producing components for Invisalign-like devices. The lasers melt and smooth sharp edges with remarkable precision, enhancing the comfort and quality of these medical-grade products. This versatility, combined with the durability of their ceramic core technology, makes Iradion’s lasers a go-to solution for various high-demand industrial tasks.

AM has traditionally been associated with prototyping, but the narrative is rapidly changing. Iradion wants to be at the forefront of this shift, enabling mass production with high-performance lasers.

Kloczkowski explains, “The industry is growing geometrically. What began as a tool for prototyping is now being used to create complex, high-value parts in a single setup. With our technology, manufacturers are moving towards making these parts more efficiently and at scale.”

For example, Iradion’s lasers are useful in hybrid sintering techniques that combine polymer and metal powders. In this process, polymer powders act as a binding agent, holding metal powders in place during sintering. Once the part is formed, the polymer is removed in a heat oven stage, leaving a fully metal structure ready for further processing, noted Revell.

A common challenge in AM is speed. Traditionally, building parts layer by layer has proved time-consuming. However, Iradion claims to address this limitation through rapid beam modulation. Its lasers can turn on and off almost instantaneously, allowing for the production of multiple parts simultaneously with “exceptional precision,” states Kloczkowski.

“The greatest limitation of 3D printing has always been speed. We can produce two to three times more parts per hour than competitors because of how quickly our lasers modulate. Our lasers can turn on and off almost instantaneously, delivering full power when needed and enabling precise, rapid transitions between parts. This capability ensures unmatched speed, exceptional resolution detail, and consistency across complex geometries,” he went on.

What’s more, Iradion’s lasers reduce downtime by integrating seamlessly with modular systems. Manufacturers can quickly swap powder beds or chambers, eliminating contamination and expediting production cycles.

From cutting-edge polymer sintering in North America to high-speed glass cutting in China, Iradion’s footprint spans the globe. The company continues to explore new markets and applications, including ongoing discussions with other industry giants such as 3D Systems and several Chinese companies specializing in AM.

Kloczkowski also noted that the industry has been expanding beyond metals to include polymers, ceramics, and hybrid materials, which opens opportunities for Iradion’s lasers in plenty of 3D printing applications.

While Iradion has a strong history of creating innovative solutions, it has evolved and grown.  Initially tasked by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to develop CO₂ lasers that could sit unused for years and still operate flawlessly, Iradion’s patented ceramic core design emerged as a solution to meet these tough demands. This technology not only set the brand apart in the defense sector but also became the cornerstone of its commercial success.

In 2007, Iradion acquired the intellectual rights to a low-powered ceramic laser design and expanded it into higher-power systems, scaling from 10 watts to their current models that reach up to 250 watts. This leap in capability eventually led them into the 3D printing industry.

The role of lasers in the next wave of 3D printing could be key to unlocking more advanced applications and widespread adoption. This is why Iradion is developing its laser technology to create even more parts that were once impossible to make.