FEMTOPRINT SA

Mid-Week Coffee Break - FEMTOPRINT SA

High-precision 3D glass microfabrication and contract manufacturing, Swiss made

FEMTOPRINT SA is a Swiss CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) specialized in 3D glass microfabrication with ultrafast femtosecond lasers. We design, prototype and manufacture monolithic glass microdevices in fused silica and other transparent materials for customers in life sciences, medtech, optics, photonics, quantum technologies, space, watchmaking and research.

Founded in 2013 as a spin-off of the European FEMTOPRINT research project, the company operates a 1,500 m² manufacturing campus in Agno-Lugano (Ticino) and a second site in Neuchâtel. A team with more than 10 PhDs covers the full value chain, from feasibility study and design to certified series production.

Our technology: femtosecond laser micromachining of glass

The FEMTOPRINT® platform is based on Selective Laser Etching (SLE) and direct laser writing. A femtosecond laser modifies the glass locally inside its volume; the exposed areas are then etched away chemically. The process is maskless and produces true 3D structures in a single monolithic part: buried channels, cavities, through-holes, flexures, optical waveguides and free-form micro-optics, with no bonding and no assembly of layers. Learn more about our technology.

Services

• Contract development: feasibility studies, design for manufacturing and process development for glass microdevices.
• Rapid prototyping: fast iterations of functional glass prototypes, from single parts to small batches.
• Contract manufacturing: scale-up and series production under ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 9001:2015 quality management.

Applications and markets

• Life sciences and microfluidics: glass microfluidic chips, lab-on-a-chip, organ-on-chip, diagnostics and drug discovery devices.
• Medtech: biocompatible glass components for medical devices, produced in an ISO 13485 environment.
• Optics and photonics: micro-optics, fiber alignment and fiber-to-chip coupling structures, 3D waveguides and components for photonic integration.
• Quantum technologies: glass ion traps, vapor cell preforms and precision parts for cryogenic and vacuum systems.
• Space and aerospace: lightweight, thermally stable glass microstructures.
• Watchmaking and luxury: complex glass components and decorative parts.
• R&D and sciences: custom devices for universities and research institutes.

Why glass, why FEMTOPRINT

Fused silica combines optical transparency, chemical inertness, biocompatibility, thermal and mechanical stability. FEMTOPRINT makes it possible to shape this material in three dimensions at the microscale, with integrated optical, fluidic and mechanical functions in one part. Customers get a single Swiss partner that controls the whole process, from the first sketch to certified production.

Looking for a glass microdevice partner? Request a feasibility study or write to info@femtoprint.ch.

Watch technology and application videos on our FEMTOPRINT SA YouTube channel.