As part of the LASER-PRO project, a significant technical achievement has been made through a collaborative effort between two Czech consortium members – the HiLASE Centre and CARDAM. The team successfully designed and produced a next-generation laser beam dump that offers improved performance, compactness, and thermal management, utilizing state-of-the-art metal 3D printing technologies and mathematical design optimization.
Innovative Design for Efficient Thermal Management
The core function of a laser beam dump is to safely absorb and dissipate the energy from high-power laser beams. In this case, the newly developed beam dump features a 3D-printed structure with internally optimized geometry designed to maximize heat transfer into a cooling fluid.
The HiLASE beam dump was experimentally tested with 1000 laser shots, each at 1 joule energy, with a 1064 nm wavelength and a 2 mm beam diameter.
Test parameters:
- Cooling water flow: 4 litres/minute
- Water temperature: 13 °C
- Concave lens inserted: No
HiLASE was responsible for optimizing the outer geometry and dimensions to ensure maximum absorption of incoming laser energy.
CARDAM designed the internal mathematical structure, optimizing its shape and density for efficient heat transfer from the absorber body to the cooling system.
This joint development led to a highly compact, efficient, and technically advanced beam dump – demonstrating the powerful synergy between applied research and industrial design.
A Showcase of Excellence Hub Collaboration
This success story exemplifies the goals of the Horizon Europe-funded LASER-PRO project, which aims to advance European industrial competitiveness through regional collaboration and innovation in laser technologies. The beam dump initiative aligns with several LASER-PRO objectives:
- Advancing sustainable manufacturing processes
- Demonstrating successful academia-industry cooperation
- Promoting cross-border innovation transfer between research and SMEs
The project partners acknowledge the contributions of the entire development and testing team, including:
Pavel Crha, Marek Böhm, Jan Šmaus, Jan Heřmánek, Jakub Horáček, Pavel Gruber, Martin Gášek, Jakub Krupa, Jason Iwachow, and Ondřej Kurkin.
About LASER-PRO
The LASER-PRO (Excellent Laser Technologies for the Sustainable Prosperity of Europe) project is a four-year initiative bringing together 18 partners from Czechia, Lithuania, and Ukraine. The project drives innovation in laser technologies across Europe by connecting research, industry, and policy actors – supporting sustainable manufacturing, accelerating digital transformation, and strengthening regional innovation ecosystems.
Learn more about LASER-PRO: https://www.laserpro-eh.eu/