Welcome to PowerPhotonic’s August 2025 news bulletin covering:

• PowerPhotonic’s Tailshaper was shortlisted for the Frontier Innovation Award at Laser World of Photonics.
• Welcome to Amanda Robertson, PowerPhotonic’s new Group CEO.
• The Deposited Energy Flat Top (DEFT) beam shaper that will revolutionise additive manufacturing.
• Practical Aberration Correction, our Industry Expert webinar is online.

PowerPhotonic’s Tailshaper was shortlisted for the Frontier Innovation Award at Laser World of Photonics.

PowerPhotonic was shortlisted for the ‘Frontier Innovation Award’ at Laser World of Photonics (LWOP) in Munich in June, for its ‘Tailshaper’; a refractive, freeform optic beam shaper for enhancing the laser welding processes used in Electric Vehicle (EV), lithium-ion battery pack production. This results in improved structural integrity of the packs and increased safety for drivers and passengers. Dr. Alex Griffiths, lead engineer at PowerPhotonic, who headed the Tailshaper design team, summarised its unique benefits in a presentation for the shortlisting titled, ‘Beam shaping for EV welding’.

The Tailshaper beam profile pre-heats and cools metal on either side of the weld spot. It has speed, precision and reduced heat transfer advantages over resistance, arc or ultrasonic welding methods, and requires less post-weld finishing. Welding results using Aluminium AA 6082, commonly used in the automotive industry, showed that weld quality improves, and many common weld faults are avoided. WMG at the University of Warwick, an innovation centre within the Innovate UK Catapult Network, also verified the improvements and performance benefits.

Amanda Robertson appointed PowerPhotonic’s new Group CEO

PowerPhotonic has appointed Amanda Robertson as its new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Amanda is a distinguished leader with extensive experience in P&L management, entrepreneurial leadership, and strategic growth. She has held significant roles, including Group Commercial Director at Walker Precision Engineering, Glasgow, where she significantly increased the order book and developed partnerships with key customers, particularly in the Defence sector. At Stoneridge Electronics, Dundee, Amanda led the company’s transition to a SAAS business model and successfully grew revenue throughout Europe and USA. Amanda’s exceptional leadership and strategic growth insight make her an invaluable asset to PowerPhotonic as it embarks on its next phase of growth and innovation.

Amanda is thrilled to join the company, stating, “PowerPhotonic’s commitment to innovation, collaboration, and excellence aligns perfectly with my own values. I look forward to driving the company’s growth and continuing to deliver exceptional value to our customers and stakeholders.”

Clovis Younger, Chairman of PowerPhotonic, added, “We are delighted to welcome Amanda Robertson as our new Group CEO. Under her guidance, PowerPhotonic will expand its business and achieve significant growth in the UK and US. Roy McBride will continue to play a pivotal role, helping to shape our future.”

The Deposited Energy Flat Top (DEFT) beam shaper that will revolutionise additive manufacturing.

PowerPhotonic used the Laser World of Photonics exhibition in Munich, in June, to launch its revolutionary, Deposited Energy Flat Top (DEFT) beam shaper. This innovative new optic provides an energy distribution profile in the laser melt spot which delivers optimal performance in additive manufacturing (AM) applications.

The DEFT beam shaper solves an AM challenge.

Currently, AM applications use a single mode, Gaussian output laser beam to create the melt spot. The smaller the melt spot, the finer the detail and the more complex the 3D features that can be created. However, the melt spot does not remain stationary, it scans across the AM powder-bed. The deposited energy distribution is therefore greatest along the spot’s line of travel, where the spot is in contact with the material for the longest, reducing energy towards the spot perimeter where contact is less. The DEFT beam shaper produces a U-shaped energy distribution profile in the melt spot that compensates for this effect, increasing energy distribution towards the melt spot’s perimeter, to give an even energy distribution as it scans the powder bed.

Practical Aberration Correction – our Industry Expert webinar is online.

PowerPhotonic’s webinar ‘Practical Aberration Correction Using Freeform Optics – Pushing the Boundaries of Laser System Performance’ is online. The webinar was produced by Photonics Spectra Magazine as part of its Industry Expert series.

Aberration Correctors compensate for non-chromatic, optical aberrations in laser systems. They enhance optical output by reducing manufacturing, assembly, material and labour costs, improving yield whilst also compensating for the limitations of spherical lens optics.

PowerPhotonic’s breakthrough, fused silica, freeform Aberration Correctors can mitigate many of the negative effects of non-chromatic aberrations. These components suit high-power applications, including laser inertial fusion, as well as low-light sensitive applications such as microscope imaging. They can also be produced using our custom, fast-turnaround, optics solution, which is both cost-effective and practical, seamlessly integrating our optics into many existing industrial, biomedical, and defence equipment and systems, to enhance performance.”

To view the webinar please click here