Canon partners with MERSEN on galvano

February 29, 2024

On January 19, Canon and MERSEN, a French expert in electric power and advanced materials, announced a technical partnership for a galvano scanner that controls the angle of a laser beam.

On the same day, Canon launched a new product that combines Canon’s “GM Series” motor for the scanner and MERSEN’s silicon carbide (SiC) reflector “optoSiC mirror” (=photo). The drive speed has been improved by approximately 30% compared to the conventional product, and the settling time, which suppresses the runout of the mirror when the drive is stopped, has been shortened by approximately 30%. This product is suitable for high-precision laser processing machines and metal 3D printers.

The optoSiC mirror is lightweight and highly rigid. It has been used for high-precision laser processing and measurement. However, the problem was that it had been difficult to tune when combined with a motor. In order to achieve a high level of tuning, Canon has formed a technical partnership with MERSEN. Through the partnership, Canon has prepared templates of control programs for various laser applications, such as micro–hole drilling and marking. This allows users to reduce the time and effort required to build a system when integrating the scanner into equipment.