WO2019021112A1

WO2019021112A1 - Method for manufacturing a household appliance component, household appliance component, household appliance, and laser microstructuring device

Info

Publication number: WO2019021112A1
Application number: PCT/IB2018/055277
Authority: WO
Inventors: Maria Carmen Artal Lahoz; Miguel Angel Bunuel Magdalena; Andres Escartin Barduzal; Francisco Javier Ester Sola; Radhakrishnan JAGDHEESH; Elena Martinez Solanas; Jose Luis Ocaña Moreno; David Urrutia Angos
Original assignee: BSH Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2017-07-28
Filing date: 2018-07-17
Publication date: 2019-01-31
Also published as: ES2697919A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a household appliance component, comprising the steps providing a base element (2), generating a first surface structure (13) by laser microstructuring at least one surface of the base element (2), and generating a second surface structure (13) by laser microstructuring said at least one surface of the base element (2), wherein the second surface structure (13) is at least in part superimposed on the first surface structure (13). The invention further relates to a household appliance component, to a household appliance comprising at least one household appliance component, and to a laser microstructuring device (1).

Description

METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE COMPONENT, HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE COMPONENT, HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE, AND LASER MICROSTRUCTURING DEVICE

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a household appliance component with a microstructured surface. The invention further relates to a household appliance component and to a household appliance having a microstructured surface. Still further, the invention relates to a laser microstructuring device.

Hydrophobic surfaces are a topic of increasing importance in household appliances and are required in many applications. A hydrophobic surface property is especially useful if water or other hydrophilic substances are required to be kept away from certain surface areas. Examples comprise water repellent surfaces on cooktops, easy to clean surfaces, anti-fingerprint properties, and the prevention of water from conductive or capacitive areas.

However, currently known coatings either exhibit rather low degrees of hydrophobicity or require complex and expensive materials and coating methods to achieve sufficiently large contact angles and sufficient water-repellency.

It is the task of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a household appliance component with a water-repellent surface. A further task of the invention consists in providing a household appliance component comprising a base element with water-repellent surface properties. Still further, it is an object of the current invention to provide a household appliance comprising at least one household appliance component with water-repellent surface properties. Finally, a further object of the current invention is to provide means for manufacturing a household appliance component with water-repellent surface properties.

These tasks are solved by a method for manufacturing a household appliance component, a household appliance component, a household appliance, and a laser microstructuring device according to the independent claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the respective dependent claims, wherein advantageous developments of a specific aspect of the invention are to be regarded as advantageous developments of all other aspects of the invention and vice versa.

A first aspect of the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a household appliance component, comprising the steps providing a base element, generating a first surface structure by laser microstructuring at least one surface of the base element, and generating a second surface structure by laser microstructuring said at least one surface of the base element, wherein the second surface structure is at least in part superimposed on the first surface structure. The method according to the present invention in other words encompasses the application of laser beams for micromachining a base element of a household appliance component in order to generate hierarchical micro scale geometries on the surface of the base element. The generation of the first surface structure and the superimposed second surface structure is possible by laser ablation and does not require any additional coatings in order to generate a water-repellent surface. The invention is based on the insight that by superimposing two or more micromachined surface structures air cushions can be created by these micro- and/or nanoscale surface structures so that water drops can float on these air cushions and easily bounce off the surface of the base element. Material removal from a base element to form micro- or nanoscale surface structures is known as micromachining. Micromachining can be realized with the help of high energy beams such as ion beams, electron beams or laser beams. A focused ion beam is able to physically ablate material from a surface of a base element. Since electrons are much lighter than ions, the mechanism of electron beam micromachining is based on the reaction between an etchant vapor and the substrate. The mechanism used in laser micromachining is laser ablation, since high energies can be applied rapidly to a small area, thereby causing atoms on the surface to evaporate without undue heating of the base element. Lasers have several advantages over the other energy beams used for micromachining. Materials are prone to ablation when the laser beam has a certain intensity above the threshold level of the respective material. Therefore, laser beams can be used to create micro- and nanoscale structures with very high precision by moving the laser beam relatively to the substrate without compromising the bulk material properties of the base element. As compared to the other energy beam micromachining techniques such as ion beam or electron beam, laser beam micromachining is superior in terms of flexibility and can be used to process a large variety of materials. A further advantage consists in that superimposed micro- and/or nanostructures can be easily created since laser beams can be very precisely controlled. According to the present invention, the term "hydrophobic" relates to surfaces having water contact angles of 90° to 120° while the terms "superhydrophobic" and "ultrahydrophobic" relate to surfaces having water contact angles of more than 120° and preferably of 150° or more, for example 120 °, 121 °, 122 °, 123 °, 124 °, 125 °, 126 °, 127 °, 128 °, 129 °, 130 °, 131 °, 132 °, 133 °, 134 °, 135 °, 136 °, 137 °, 138 °, 139 °, 140 °, 141 °, 142 °, 143 °, 144 °, 145 °, 146 °, 147 °, 148 °, 149 °, 150 °, 151 °, 152 °, 153 °, 154 °, 155 °, 156 °, 157 °, 158 °, 159 °, 160 °, 161 °, 162 °, 163 °, 164 °, 165 °, 166 °, 167 °, 168 °, 169 °, 170 ° or more. This ensures surfaces that are extremely difficult to wet.

In an advantageous development of the invention it is provided that a laser device is operated with one or more of the following parameters for generating the first and/or the second surface structure:

- laser power between 500 mW and 1000 mW, i. e. 500 mW, 510 mW, 520 mW, 530 mW, 540 mW, 550 mW, 560 mW, 570 mW, 580 mW, 590 mW, 600 mW, 610 mW, 620 mW, 630 mW, 640 mW, 650 mW, 660 mW, 670 mW, 680 mW, 690 mW, 700 mW, 710 mW, 720 mW, 730 mW, 740 mW, 750 mW, 760 mW, 770 mW, 780 mW, 790 mW, 800 mW, 810 mW, 820 mW, 830 mW, 840 mW, 850 mW, 860 mW, 870 mW, 880 mW, 890 mW, 900 mW, 910 mW, 920 mW, 930 mW, 940 mW, 950 mW, 960 mW, 970 mW, 980 mW, 990 mW, or 1000 mW;

- pulse repetition rate between 50 kHz and 200 kHz, i. e. 50 kHz, 60 kHz, 70 kHz, 80 kHz, 90 kHz, 100 kHz, 1 10 kHz, 120 kHz, 130 kHz, 140 kHz, 150 kHz, 160 kHz, 170 kHz, 180 kHz, 190 kHz, or 200 kHz;

laser scan speed between 40 mm/s and 200 mm/s, i. e. 40 mm/s, 50 mm/s, 60 mm/s,

70 mm/s, 80 mm/s, 90 mm/s, 100 mm/s, 1 10 mm/s, 120 mm/s, 130 mm/s, 140 mm/s,

150 mm/s, 160 mm/s, 170 mm/s, 180 mm/s, 190 mm/s, or 200 mm/s;

laser beam displacement between 5 μηη and 50 μηη, i. e. 5 μηη, 6 μηη, 7 μηη, 8 μηη,

9 μηη, 10 μηη, 1 1 μηη, 12 μηη, 13 μηη, 14 μηη, 15 μηη, 16 μηη, 17 μηη, 18 μηη, 19 μηη,

20 μηι, 21 μηι, 22 μηι, 23 μηι, 24 μηι, 25 μηι, 26 μηι, 27 μηι, 28 μηι, 29 μηι, 30 μηι,

31 μηη, 32 μηη, 33 μηη, 34 μηη, 35 μηη, 36 μηη, 37 μηη, 38 μηη, 39 μηη, 40 μηη, 41 μηη,

42 μηη, 43 μηη, 44 μηη, 45 μηη, 46 μηη, 47 μηη, 48 μηη, 49 μηη, or 50 μηη; and laser spot size between 5 μηη and 35 μηη, i. e. 5 μηη, 6 μηη, 7 μηη, 8 μηη, 9 μηη, 10 μηη,

1 1 μηη, 12 μηη, 13 μηη, 14 μηη, 15 μηη, 16 μηη, 17 μηη, 18 μηη, 19 μηη, 20 μηη, 21 μηη, 22 μηι, 23 μηι, 24 μηι, 25 μηι, 26 μηι, 27 μηι, 28 μηι, 29 μηι, 30 μηι, 31 μηι, 32 μηι,

33 μηι, 34 μηι, or 35 μηι.

This ensures the generation of superior water-repellency properties for a great variety of materials such as for example steel and aluminum as well as other metals and metal alloys.

In a further advantageous development of the invention it is provided that a nanosecond laser and/or a UV laser is used to generate the first and/or the second surface structure. The use of a nanosecond laser (ns laser) is based on the surprising insight that the hydrophobic properties can be generated with the exclusive use of one or more ns lasers, contrary to the public opinion that micro- and/or nanostructures can only be generated by picosecond (ps) or femtosecond (fs) pulse lasers. In particular it is possible to generate superhydrophobic or even ultrahydrophobic surfaces exclusively by using nanosecond lasers. A particularly high peak power and high photon energy can be further ensured by using a UV laser (i. e. wavelengths below 400 nm) which can ablate almost any kind of material with high precision. In particular pulsed high-power ultraviolet lasers can be used for efficient generation of surface structures in a variety of materials, including materials which are transparent to visible light.

In a further advantageous development of the invention it is provided that a base element is provided, which consists of one or more of metal, in particular aluminium, metal alloy, in particular stainless steel, plastics, ceramic, stone, and composite material. Thus, not only base materials made of steel or other metals can be provided with water-repellent surface properties, but also base materials made of glass, ceramics, plastics, stone, or other materials, so that any kind of household appliance component may be provided with the surface structures.

In a further advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the base element is cleaned before and/or after generating the first and/or the second surface structure using a solvent. This ensures a precise manufacturability of the first and/or second surface structure since possible impurities or contaminations can reliably be removed. The solvent may for example be acetone, isopropanol, ethanol, or mixtures thereof.

In a further advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the base element is exposed to a vacuum for a predetermined time at a predetermined pressure below atmospheric pressure. The combination of the specific surface geometry comprising the first and the superimposed second surface structure and the presence of a carbonaceous layer on the surface of the treated base element allows the manufacturing of super- or ultrahydrophobic surface properties. The vacuum process is preferably applied after the laser process and accelerates the chemisorption of hydrocarbons inside the vacuum chamber on the surface of the base element due to the very low partial pressure of water vapor that can be reached at high vacuum. Hydrocarbons are present almost everywhere, but their relative abundance with respect to other substances (especially water) is enhanced in environments which restrict the air contents. It has been found that a vacuum chamber, which normally contains organic material helping to create the vacuum (e. g. sealing grease), can be used to deposit hydrocarbons on the treated surface areas.

A second aspect of the invention relates to a household appliance component comprising a base element, wherein at least one surface of the base element comprises a first microstructured surface structure and a second microstructured surface structure which is at least in part superimposed on the first surface structure. The household appliance component thus has hydrophobic or even superhydrophobic surface properties with water contact angles of at least 105° or more. This ensures surfaces that are extremely difficult to wet. Further features and their advantages can be gathered from the discussion of the first aspect of the invention.

In an advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the first and/or the second surface structure comprises raised and/or indented microscale elements. The first and/or second surface structure in other words may comprise micro- and/or nanoscale elements that are recessed or deepened and/or raised or elevated relative to untreated or unstructured surface areas of the base element. This allows a very precise adjustment of the water-repellent properties.

In a further advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the microscale elements have a relative altitude difference of 3 μηη to 20 μηη, i. e. 3 μηη, 4 μηη, 5 μηη, 6 μηη, 7 μηη, 8 μηη, 9 μηη, 10 μηη, 1 1 μηη, 12 μηη, 13 μηη, 14 μηη, 15 μηη, 16 μηη, 17 μηη, 18 μηη, 19 μηη, or 20 μηη, compared to unstructured surface areas and/or wherein the microscale elements are grid-shaped and border unstructured surface areas. This leads to excellent water-repellent properties. In a further advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the unstructured surface areas are essentially rectangular and/or square-shaped and have side lengths of between 5 μηι and 40 μηι, i. e. 5 μηι, 6 μηι, 7 μηι, 8 μηι, 9 μηι, 10 μηι, 1 1 μηι, 12 μηι, 13 μηι, 14 μηι, 15 μηι, 16 μηι, 17 μηι, 18 μηι, 19 μηι, 20 μηι, 21 μηι, 22 μηι, 23 μηι, 24 μηι, 25 μηι, 26 μηι, 27 μηι, 28 μηι, 29 μηι, 30 μηι, 31 μηι, 32 μηι, 33 μηι, 34 μηι, 35 μηι, 36 μηι, 37 μηι, 38 μηι, 39 μηι, or 40 μηι. This allows the creation of very stable air cushions within the boundaries of the surface structures which also leads to excellent water-repellent properties.

In a further advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the base element at least in the region of the first and second surface structure is superhydrophobic, in particular ultrahydrophobic. This ensures that the respective surface of the base element is extremely difficult to wet.

In a further advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the household appliance component is configured as a lining or wall element of a household appliance. The household appliance can thus be easily provided with excellent water-repellent properties and is easily cleanable.

A third aspect of the invention relates to a household appliance, which comprises at least one household appliance component, which is manufactured according to a method according to the first aspect of the invention and/or at least one household appliance component according to the second aspect of the invention. The resulting features and their advantages can be gathered from the description of the first and second aspect of the invention. It is envisaged that the household appliance may be configured as a dishwasher, a dryer, a washing machine, a microwave oven, a cooktop, a worktop, and/or an oven.

A fourth aspect of the invention relates to a laser microstructuring device, comprising a holding device for a base element of a household appliance component, at least one laser device, and a control device for operating said laser device, wherein the control device is configured to perform a method according to the first aspect of the invention. The laser microstructuring device according to the invention can thus be used to manufacture household appliance component comprising a base element which is equipped with excellent water-repellent properties by generating first and second surface structures, wherein the second surface structure is at least in parts superimposed on the first surface structure. Further features and their advantages can be gathered from the description of the first, second, and third aspect of the invention.

In an advantageous development of the invention it is provided that the laser microstructuring device further comprises one or more of a nanolaser, an acoustic-optic modulator, a mirror, in particular a translational mirror, an attenuator, a galvo scanner, and at least one actuator for moving and/or rotating the holding device relative to the laser device. This allows an easy and precise processing of base elements made of different materials and with different geometries.

Further features of the invention are apparent from the claims, the figures and the description of figures. The features and feature combinations mentioned above in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned below in the description of figures and/or shown in the figures alone are usable not only in the respectively specified combination, but also in other combinations without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, implementations are also to be considered as encompassed and disclosed by the invention, which are not explicitly shown in the figures and explained, but arise from and can be generated by separated feature combinations from the explained implementations. Implementations and feature combinations are also to be considered as disclosed, which thus do not have all of the features of an originally formulated independent claim. Moreover, implementations and feature combinations are to be considered as disclosed, in particular by the implementations set out above, which extend beyond or deviate from the feature combinations set out in the relations of the claims. The figures show in:

Fig. 1 a schematic view of a laser microstructuring device according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 SEM images of base elements comprising microstructured, superimposed surface structures, which are manufactured by applying four different laser beam displacement parameters;

Fig. 3 an SEM image of a base element comprising microstructured, superimposed surface structures; and Fig. 4 water droplets on a base element having microstructured, superimposed surface structures.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a laser microstructuring device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. The laser microstructuring device 1 uses a direct laser writing method to microstructure a surface of a base element 2 of a household appliance component and to create first and second surface structures on said surface. The base element 2 may for example consist of stainless steel (SS) or aluminum, but other materials are also possible. The base element 2 in the present example has a thickness of about 1-2 mm. The base element 2 was cleaned with acetone before and after micromachining.

The laser microstructuring device 1 comprises a ultraviolet nanolaser device 3, which generates pulsed laser beams 4. Each laser beam 4 passes an optional acoustic-optic modulator 5 to pick the desired frequency. The laser beam 4 is then redirected by four mirrors 6 to feed the laser beam 4 into a beam expander 7. Of course more or fewer mirrors 6 may generally be used according to the current needs. The laser beam 4 then passes an optional attenuator 8 to choose the desired power. The laser beam 4 is subsequently led through a computer controlled translational mirror 9 and focused either by a fixed optic element 10 or by a galvo scanner 11 on the base element 2.

The base element 2 is carried by a holding device 12, which can be moved relative to the laser device 3. The holding device 12 is preferably configured to perform translational movements in a horizontal (x-axis, y-axis) and/or vertical direction (z-axis). Preferably the holding device 12 is also capable of tilting and/or rotating the base element 2 to facilitate the processing of base elements 2 with complex shapes and geometries. The laser microstructuring device 1 further comprises a control device 15, which is used to control at least the nanolaser device 3 and the holding device 12.

A focused laser beam 4 with a diameter preferably in the range of 10-30 μηη is generated by the laser device 3 to create micro- and/or nanoscale surface structures 13 (see Fig. 2). The applied laser beam 4 can create raised and/or indented microscale elements 14 with a width of 5-15 μηη and depth of 3-15 μηη, depending on the applied laser power and number of laser pulses per unit area. Fig. 2 shows four SEM images of base elements 2 comprising a microstructured first surface structure 13 and a superimposed second surface structure 13. Pulsed nanosecond laser beams 4 with wavelengths below 400 nm (UV) are employed to ablate the surface at these specific areas. Further, four different laser beam displacement parameters, namely 20 μηη, 25 μηη, 30 μηη, and 35 μηη, were applied.

As can be gathered from Fig. 2, the dual surface structures 13 are grid-shaped and border unstructured surface areas, wherein the unstructured surface areas are essentially square- shaped and have side lengths of 20 μηη, 25 μηη, 30 μηη, and 35 μηη, respectively. The dual surface structures 13 include micro pillars (first surface structure) and micro cell structures (second surface structure) on top of the micro pillars.

The material removal mechanism involves localized removal of material and does not affect the bulk material properties of the base element 2. The range of laser processing parameters used for generating the first and the second surface structures 13 were:

- laser power: 500 mW-1000 mW

pulse repetition rate: 50 kHz-200 kHz

scan speeds: 40 mm/s-200 mm/s

beam displacements: 5 μπ 50 μηη

apparent spot size: 10 μπ 15 μηη

As can be gathered from Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, which shows an SEM image of a base element 2 comprising said microstructured, superimposed surface structures 13, the piling of the recast due to the melting metal forms a μ-cell or closed packet like structure as the second surface structure on top of the first surface structure (micro pillars). The μ-cell structure is separated by channels which are 10-15 μηη wide. The laser patterned base element 2 may have different first surface structures 13 such as micro pillars or μ-cells. Additionally, nanoscale protrusions as second surface structures 13 are generated on top of the first surface structures 13. These superimposed surface structures 13 reduce the available area that may be in direct contact with water droplets 16 (Fig. 4). The resulting surface structures 13 can hold small volumes of air trapped inside the μ-pockets. Thus, water droplets 16 cannot expel the air from the surface structures 13 and float on top of respective "air cushions". This leads to high water-repellent and self-cleaning properties. The surface of the base element 2 even becomes ultrahydrophobic after the above-named laser machining and a subsequent vacuum process and exhibits a static water contact angle in the range of 180°. The application of water/water droplets 16 thus does not wet the surface of the base element 2. The water-repellency properties generally depend on the duration of vacuum process and the applied negative pressure with respect to ambient pressure. Longer vacuum process times and/or lower pressures generally lead to longer durability of the water-repellency properties.

The hydrophobicity/water repellence of the base element 2 was further investigated by measuring the static contact angle using the sessile drop technique as well as the sliding contact angle. For this purpose, an 8 μΙ_ droplet 16 of deionized water was dispensed on the laser- machined surface structures 13 under atmospheric conditions and the static contact angle was calculated by analyzing droplet images recorded after the deposition. All base elements 2 that underwent an additional vacuum process exhibited ultrahydrophobicity, while base elements 2 that only underwent the laser microstructuring process generally were hydrophobic or superhydrophobic. The same tests were conducted with droplet volumes of 14 μΙ_. The hydrophobic properties of the tested base elements 2 under these circumstances were slightly lower compared to the tests with droplet volumes of 8 μΙ_ but generally at least superhydrophobic.

A further observation comprised the coalescence and rolling off of water drops 16 after contacting the ultrahydrophobic surface. The cascading coalescence process forms bigger water drops 16 that tend to move away from the laser patterned area of the base element 2 as shown in Fig. 4.

To sum up, the advantages of the present invention generally comprise the following points:

Green and environmental friendly process that requires no additional chemical coatings, aging processes and the like;

Robust and economical compared to the other micromachining and microstructuring techniques;

The described method can be easily included in existing industrial automation process chains; A broad range of materials can be processed, starting from polymers to hard materials such as metals, stone, and ceramics; and

Excellent reproducibility of the process.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that while the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, various modifications, changes and additions can be made to the foregoing invention, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The parameter values used in the claims and the description for defining process and measurement conditions for the characterization of specific properties of the invention are also encompassed within the scope of deviations, for example due to measurement errors, system errors, weighing errors, DIN tolerances and the like.

LIST OF REFERENCES laser microstructuring device

base element

laser device

laser beam

acoustic-optic modulator

mirror

beam expander

attenuator

translational mirror

optic element

galvo scanner

holding device

surface structure

microscale element

control device

water drop

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a household appliance component, comprising the steps:

providing a base element (2);

generating a first surface structure (13) by laser microstructuring at least one surface of the base element (2); and

generating a second surface structure (13) by laser microstructuring said at least one surface of the base element (2), wherein the second surface structure (13) is at least in part superimposed on the first surface structure (13).

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a laser device (3) is operated with one or more of the following parameters for generating the first and/or the second surface structure (13):

laser power between 500 mW and 1000 mW;

pulse repetition rate between 50 kHz and 200 kHz;

laser scan speed between 40 mm/s and 200 mm/s;

laser beam displacement between 5 μηη and 50 μηη; and

laser spot size between 5 μηη and 35 μηη.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a nanosecond laser (3) and/or a UV laser (3) is used to generate the first and/or the second surface structure (13).

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a base element (2) is provided, which consists of one or more of metal, in particular aluminium, metal alloy, in particular stainless steel, plastics, ceramic, stone, and composite material.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the base element (2) is cleaned before and/or after generating the first and/or the second surface structure (13) using a solvent.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the base element (2) is exposed to a vacuum for a predetermined time at a predetermined pressure below atmospheric pressure.

7. A household appliance component comprising a base element (2), wherein at least one surface of the base element (2) comprises a first microstructured surface structure (13) and a second microstructured surface structure (13) which is at least in part superimposed on the first surface structure (13).

8. The household appliance component according to claim 7, wherein the first and/or the second surface structure (13) comprises raised and/or indented microscale elements (14).

9. The household appliance component according to claim 8, wherein the microscale elements (14) have a relative altitude difference of 3 μηη to 20 μηη compared to unstructured surface areas and/or wherein the microscale elements (14) are grid-shaped and border unstructured surface areas.

10. The household appliance component according to claim 9, wherein the unstructured surface areas are essentially rectangular and/or square-shaped and have side lengths between 5 μηη and 40 μηη.

1 1 . The household appliance component according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the base element (2) at least in the region of the first and second surface structure (13) is superhydrophobic, in particular ultrahydrophobic.

12. The household appliance component according to any one of claims 7 to 1 1 , which is configured as a lining or wall element of a household appliance.

13. A household appliance, which comprises at least one household appliance component, which is manufactured according to a method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or which is configured according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

14. A laser microstructuring device (1), comprising:

a holding device (12) for a base element (2) of a household appliance component; at least one laser device (3); and

a control device (15) for operating said laser device (3), wherein the control device (15) is configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The laser microstructuring device (1), and further comprising one or more of:

a nanolaser (3);

an acoustic-optic modulator (5);

a mirror (6), in particular a translational mirror (9);

an attenuator (8);

a galvo scanner (1 1); and

at least one actuator for moving and/or rotating the holding device (12) relative to th laser device (3).