30 juin « Ultrafast Laser Processing : Micromachining and Texturing » – Arnaud WECK
Publié le 16 juin 2026
30 juin 2026 – 14h, amphithéatre Mines Paris PSL, Campus de l’Innovation, Versailles
Arnaud WECK, Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Ottawa
Ultrafast lasers have emerged as a powerful tool for advanced manufacturing. Their short pulse duration, high peak power, and high repetition rate enable high-precision processing over large areas while minimizing damage to surrounding material. For these reasons, ultrafast lasers have found many industrial applications requiring advanced material processing. In this talk, I will present my research group’s work on ultrafast laser-induced material modification for micromachining and texturing. In the first part of the talk, I will present work on micromachining of artificial defects (voids and cracks) to better understand fracture processes including ductile fracture in metals and polymers, fatigue fracture in metals, and brittle fracture in a ceramic. In the second part of the talk, I will demonstrate how laser-generated surface structures can produce vivid colours on metals through a complex interplay of surface morphology, chemistry, and surface plasmons. Similarly, ultrafast lasers were used to tailor the optical response of polymer nanocomposites, generating structural colours within the bulk by activating surface plasmons at embedded nanoparticles. I will conclude by discussing how ultrafast laser technologies support a more sustainable environment through processing battery and catalyst materials.