Alone among plastic joining technologies, laser welding offers a range of benefits, such as gentle and vibration-free joining; particle-free assembly; the ability to weld precision fluid paths; strong bonds with hermetic seals: exceptional aesthetics; and the versatility to bond a wide range of polymers.

Some of the most advanced laser-welding applications involve extremely small plastic components. In automotive and personal electronics, creating compact devices that contain sensors and other tiny, delicate internal elements is a high priority. The same is true in the medical field, where precision joining of small plastic components is essential for devices used for in-vitro diagnostics (IVD), vital-signs monitoring, and injection- and inhalation-therapy applications. Here, the precision and controllability of micro laser welding are ideal for creating microfluidic pathways as short as tenths of a millimeter long and as narrow as 100 microns wide. These pathways are often found in parts with a total surface area smaller than a postage stamp.